Mark of Athena
by lets.read.a.book
Summary: This is my first fanfic, so please tell me what you think! My take on the Mark of Athena; Percy and Annabeth's reunion at Camp Jupiter, rescuing Nico, and the quest to defeat Gaea. Complete.
1. Annabeth

Annabeth

Annabeth Chase vowed that when she saw her long-lost boyfriend, the first thing she would do was punch him.

It served him right for disappearing for eight months, leaving her a nervous wreck, causing her to lose sleep and, when she did manage to doze off, she had nightmares about him.

But finally, she was off to the Roman camp—Camp Jupiter—where she would hopefully see her Seaweed Brain.

For the last thirty minutes, all Annabeth had done was walk in circles, pacing on the deck of the _Argo II_. And she was thinking.

She could only imagine the worst-case scenarios. Percy hadn't made it to the Roman camp. Percy didn't remember her. And, worst of all: Percy, lying on the ground, lifeless, with a gaping wound in his chest.

"Annabeth?" a voice called, bringing her back into the present.

Annabeth turned around to see Piper McLean gazing at her. Piper smiled, her ever-changing eyes gazing calmly at Annabeth.

"He'll remember you, Annabeth. He's still alive," she said, as if reading Annabeth's thoughts.

"I can't help but imagine the worst. What if he's not even-" Annabeth cut herself off, biting her lip worriedly.

"Annabeth, stop it," Piper said firmly, and Annabeth detected a little bit of magic in those three words. "He's going to be okay. He'll remember you. Everything's going to be-" Piper stopped. Annabeth smiled and nodded, knowing that when you're a demigod, _nothing _is for sure. Your life is full of monsters and surprises.

Rachel Dare came up behind Annabeth. "Everything _will _be fine," she said. "Take it from me. I _am _the host of the Oracle, after all."

Before Annabeth could say anything, Jason came up the stairs from the bottom of the ship, where all the bedrooms were. Longing and nervousness were in his eyes, yet his face showed his excitement at seeing his camp and friends again.

"Hi, guys," he greeted, but even Annabeth could tell that he wasn't entirely there. Part of his mind was already in the Roman camp. Annabeth understood his nervousness. While Percy was gone, so much had changed at Camp Half-Blood. Many of Percy's friends had died while he was away, and Jason had replaced him a leader of Camp Half-Blood. Jason was probably worried that something similar had happened at Camp Jupiter while he had been at Camp Half-Blood.

"It'll be okay, Jason," Piper reassured him. Annabeth's thoughts turned to her boyfriend, as they were on him most of the time. Percy… how much did he still remember?

"Hey, people! We'll be landing in, like, ten minutes, so I suggest you guys get yourselves ready!" a voice called, interrupting Annabeth's thoughts. She turned to see Leo Valdez manning the wheel, looking much like Captain Jack Sparrow.

"I suggest you take the next five minutes to prepare yourselves for the Romans, because they probably won't take too kindly to a giant Greek warship descending from the sky, especially if they didn't get our video message." Jason suggested.

"Even with someone as terrific as me on board?" Leo asked, pretending to be offended.

"If they knew you were on board, they would probably redouble their efforts to kill you," Piper told him.

"I just hope that they don't attack us, but I think this should do the trick," Jason said, pointing towards the giant white flag.

Piper walked over towards him and squeezed his shoulder. "It'll be fine, Jason," she reassured him. Jason looked her gratefully, but Annabeth knew from the look in his eyes that there was something else in his expression: guilt. Annabeth made a mental note to interrogate him about it later, but she needed to go over the plan again.

"Okay everybody, gather up," Annabeth said, summoning everyone together near the wheel so Leo could listen without leaving the ship unmanned.

" First, Jason gets off the ship because they'll recognize him," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice. _At least I hope they remember him._

"We'll go in small groups, so they won't feel threatened. When they tell us that we can disembark safely, I'll go down with Piper. Leo, you make sure the ship won't blow up until we come back, because I don't think the Romans will like that very much. When everything is turned off properly, come down with Rachel. Don't spend too long on the ship, because then the Romans might think that we're trying to hide people from them." Not likely, but best to cover all possible angles.

"We've got it, Annabeth," Piper said, nodding at Annabeth, but Annabeth couldn't tell if it was because Piper was annoyed and just wanted her to be quiet, or if she actually sympathized.

Annabeth had just opened her mouth to respond when Leo interrupted.

"Uh, guys, I just thought you might be interested… we've reached the Roman camp. And they're waiting for us," Leo said.

Annabeth frowned. There was something wrong with his tone. "Leo, why do you seem nervous?"

She looked over the edge of the ship and found out the answer for herself before Leo replied.

"They're waiting for us," Leo repeated. "And they look angry."


	2. Jason

Jason

Jason was afraid. There was no other word for it. So many things could have gone wrong when he was… away.

Jason scanned the landscape, looking for where they were going to land, when he realized something.They were going to land right in the forum, inside the Pomerian line! He had all his memory back, so he remembered the statue of Terminus. "Leo!" he called. "Move about fifty yards left! We can't come crashing down on the city!"

"Oh, right," Leo agreed, and promptly made the adjustments.

The ship descended slowly. In spite of his nervousness, Jason had an overwhelming desire to get back to his family that very instant. He was seriously thinking of leaping off in order to reach his Roman family sooner, but he restrained himself.

"Hey, Leo, do you think you can speed it up just a bit?" he asked.

"Sure," Leo responded. Suddenly, the ship jerked down and hit the ground with such force that its occupants were thrown to the floor of the ship. Annabeth was the first one up. Jason could see that she was looking longingly over the side of the boat, her gray eyes going back and forth as she searched the crowd.

"That fast enough for you?" Leo asked, the usual twinkle in his eye when he joked or did something incredible stupid.

"Not funny, Leo. Not funny at all," Piper said, groaning.

"Did that hurt, Beauty Queen?" Leo asked, like he was mocking a baby.

Piper's eyes glowed like they did whenever she charmspoke someone. "Go slam your head on the wall of the boat," she commanded, and, obligingly, Leo did.

"OWWW!" he shouted. "Not cool, Piper! NOT cool!"

Annabeth acted like she hadn't heard them. "Okay, guys. Jason, go down there and try to convince them not to destroy us. No pressure."

Leo pressed a few buttons and the hatch slid down, leaving Jason with a walkway back to his old camp.

Slowly, Jason descended from the ship. He came to a stop a few yards in front of the first line of Roman soldiers. Now that the moment was here, he didn't feel confident at all. More like he would die of nervousness.

Jason cleared his throat. "Erm… hello, Romans! I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, Praetor of the twelfth legion." He waited for a response, but got none. Just then, a section of the soldiers moved aside, letting someone pass-no, _two _someones.

"Reyna," Jason said, recognizing the first person. By her side was a boy with dark hair, sea green eyes, and a definite aura of power around him. They were both wearing purple capes.

_Uh-oh, _Jason thought, recognizing what the capes meant.

Behind him, Jason heard the sharp intake of a breath. He could only assume that sound was Annabeth- which meant that the new kid by Reyna's side was none other than Percy Jackson. Percy looked for the source of the stifled gasp, and his eyes landed on Annabeth. He broke into a relieved grin, but quickly regained his composure. Still, he winked at Annabeth before turning his attention back onto Jason. Two kids were behind them, one boy and one girl. Jason was pretty sure he had never seen the boy, but he felt as if he recognized the girl from when he was Praetor. Jason remembered her name was Hazel. That was it. Jason turned his attention back to Reyna and Percy.

As soon as she saw him, Reyna seemed to have relief spread over her face, but she quickly morphed it into a blank, indifferent mask.

"Romans," she announced. "Percy Jackson was speaking the truth. Jason Grace was with the Greeks, and he is unharmed."

Jason was confused. How did she know that he was with the Greeks? She probably wouldn't recognize the style of the ship… oh. Percy must have told her. He must have gotten his memory back too.

"Now," Reyna continued. "It is time to welcome our new…friends. Jason, how many—"

"TRAITOR!" Octavian yelled, having to mess everything up, of course. The entire Roman army was staring at them silently, watching their argument. "You come here expecting to destroy the twelfth legion and all of its soldiers! The Greeks have been our enemies for centuries. It is obvious that—"

"Octavian," Reyna said through gritted teeth. "We've gone over this. They are not here to destroy us. Joining forces with them is the only way to defeat Gaea."

Octavian looked so mad that Jason wouldn't be surprised if his head exploded from pressure. "We only have the word of Percy. He is lying. The entrails have proven that."

"Octavian," Percy said, speaking for the first time. "I don't know what you see from the fuzz in the stuffed animals," causing Octavian's face to turn even redder, "but I know that Juno wiped Jason and my memories clean and switched our places in order to _combine _forces. She knew that that was the only way to possibly stand a chance against Gaea's army. Are you really going against the will of Juno?"

Octavian said nothing, but glared at Percy.

"Now that we've got that sorted out," Reyna said. "Jason, how many Greeks are on the ship with you?"

"Four others," Jason quickly replied.

"Well, then, tell them to come down. Romans, you are not to destroy them," Reyna commanded.

Jason hurried back up the ramp onto the _Argo II_.

"Good news, guys. They remembered me, and they won't kill you as soon as you show your faces. Come on down," Jason told the other people on board.

"Can I come down with you? I don't want to be last!" Leo complained to Annabeth.

"Sure," she agreed.

The five of them descended the ramp.

Reyna came forwards. She seemed to glare at Annabeth for a moment before speaking.

"Present yourselves, please," she said, more a command than a request.

"Piper, daughter of Aph- I mean Venus," Piper announced.

"Leo Valdez, supreme commander of the _Argo II _and the coolest and awesomest son of the coolest and awesomest god ever, Vulcan."

"Annabeth Chase, official Architect of Olympus, daughter of Athena- Minerva, for you Romans."

Was it just Piper's imagination, or did Reyna glare at Annabeth for a moment? Reyna quickly wiped her face blank again.

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, Pra—er, I mean _former _Praetor of the twelfth legion."

"Rachel Dare, mortal, host of the Oracle at Delphi."

"Percy, Hazel, Frank, Jason, the Greeks, and the Centurions will come with me to the Senate House," Reyna commanded. "The rest of you, back to your activities!" She turned, leaving the others to follow in her wake.


	3. Piper

Piper

As soon as she saw Reyna, Piper wanted to unsheathe Katoptris and see if she still had that haughty attitude with a dagger at her throat.

Piper remembered Jason's conversation on the ship and how he was holding back something. She now knew that that something started with an 'R' and ended with an 'eyna'. Was Reyna Jason's girlfriend before he lost his memory? Piper hated Reyna at first sight.

Piper took a bit of time to study the famous Percy Jackson. He had sea green eyes and black hair. He practically radiated power. As they walked, Percy was catching up with Annabeth. They were talking quietly. Piper could tell that both Percy and Annabeth wanted to hug each other, to squeeze the other one against them, but they both held it in. They would save it for when they had some time alone.

Piper was so deep in thought that she almost ran into Leo, who had stopped suddenly in front of her. A statue with no hands had appeared in front of them, followed by a little girl. Looking left and right, Piper saw multiple statues forming a huge circle about a hundred yards away from each other.

"Ah, yes, the _Graecus,_" the statue said. "Well? Hand over your weapons! We can't have you killing each other at the senate meeting. And, by the gods, Jason Grace, tuck your shirt in! Obviously the time with the _Graecus_ has left you with sloppy habits!"

"Terminus," Percy said to the statue. "We're, um, kind of in a hurry, so…"

"Nonsense!" Terminus roared. "Rules are rules! Hand over your weapons to Julia! Hazel, pluck that blade of grass- no, can't you see where I'm pointing? That thing is much too long! And, Praetor Jackson, I'll be happy to help with any giant-bashing. Then they'll think twice about opposing Rome!"

When everyone had assembled in the Senate House, Reyna took a seat at the head table. Her look made it obvious that Percy was supposed to sit next to her, but instead he sat next to Annabeth in the front row. The corners of Reyna's mouth tightened, while Annabeth gave Percy a grateful look.

"First of all, I think introductions are necessary if we are to be working together in the future. I am Reyna, daughter of Bellona, Praetor of the twelfth legion of Rome."

The skinny boy with straw-colored hair and blue eyes who had talked back to Percy and Reyna earlier stood up. He had a stuffed animal in one hand, which looked a bit out of place. "I am Octavian, named after Augustus Caesar, legacy of Apollo, Augur at Camp Jupiter."

A girl stood up next. She had brown hair, but her eyes were what caught Piper's attention. "Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. By the way, if any metals suddenly pop out of the ground while you're around me, don't touch them."

The boy next to Hazel stood up. He had a black hair cut in a military buzz and brown eyes. "Frank Zhang, son of Mars, descendent of Neptune," he muttered.

"Wait, you're related to Percy?" Leo broke in, looking a bit lost. Piper understood his confusion. Frank's ancestors had lived long enough to have children? That seemed like a fantasy.

Frank nodded and sat down again.

The Centurions introduced themselves. It was a bit confusing for the people who had been at Camp Half-Blood (with the exception of Jason, Annabeth, and Percy) to understand the whole Centurion/Praetor business.

"Now," Reyna said when the Romans finished introducing themselves. "We are here to determine which seven—"

"Praetor, if I may," Octavian interrupted. All of the new Greek arrivals knew immediately that he would only cause trouble. "The entrails have showed me that these _Graecus_ are not to be trusted! Weren't they our enemy long ago? They will still be our enemy now! Nothing has changed between us."

"Things must change if we are to stay alive," Reyna said through gritted teeth. "Now, if you would stop interrupting before I finished my sentence, we may get going sooner."

"You keep saying _entrails_," Rachel said. "Yet I don't see the guts of a lion or something here. Why don't you have an oracle or something?"

Octavian scoffed. "I am so favored by the gods that I only need these!" he said, brandishing the stuffed teddy bear.

"Um, you look at the stuffing of a teddy bear to find out the future?" Piper said skeptically.

"As I said before, I am favored by the gods! And I see you don't have any method of discerning the will of the gods! But, then again, maybe you do. Where is this so-called oracle?" Octavian askedangrily.

"Me," Rachel said, raising her hand. "I host the spirit of the Oracle at Delphi."

Octavian laughed, and a few other Centurions held back chuckles.

"Well, then, predict the future, _oracle_," Octavian said, making the word sound like an insult.

"I can't do it on request, I—" Rachel started to explain, then suddenly tensed.

Rachel suddenly doubled over, like her stomach washurting. Her eyes glowed serpent green. When she spoke, it sounded different than her normal voice—like three Rachels talking at once.

_The prince of death shall be made free_

_By children of the Big Three._

_The final battle shall be at the roots_

_You shall be aided by the new recruits._

_Wisdom's daughter walks alone_

_The mark of Athena burns through Rome. _

As soon as she uttered the last syllable, Rachel collapsed, falling backwards into her chair.

"What…" Octavian stuttered.

"Rachel just uttered a prophecy," Percy said. "I don't think I've seen you do that before."

Octavian's face turned red. "It was not a prophecy! It was..."

"It was what?" Piper challenged. "Something she made up off of the top of her mind? I would've thought the glowing green eyes were enough to convince you."

Reyna cleared her throat. _Gosh, can she not go one minute without attention on her? _

"We are going to assume that she has given us a prophecy. However, we cannot spend too much of our time trying to decipher its meaning. The last time we tried to figure out the meaning of a prophecy…" Reyna's expression was troubled. "At any rate, we need to set off to stop Gaea from taking over the world."

"We know that the prophecy's going to play out in time, so we might as well be prepared. I'm not saying we should try and decipher the whole thing right now," Annabeth said "but we should at least try to prepare ourselves."

"The last time we tried to unravel a prophecy, we lost our eagle, which we only recovered recently," Octavian argued.

"Well, we can't help it if you're stupid enough to lose this eagle," Annabeth told him, gesturing towards the eagle behind the Praetor's table, causing both Octavian and Reyna to flush red.

"If it's going to play itself out anyways," Reyna argued "then why do we have to try and decipher it? It's not like deciphering it will change what's going to happen. In fact, the only thing it will do is probably make our situation worse. We should focus our efforts on the prophecy of seven."

"We need to scan the prophecy, because it might tell us one of the members who is going to be on the quest that fulfills the Great Prophecy."

Octavian had just opened his mouth to argue when Reyna said "Fine. We know that Percy, Jason, Hazel, and Frank are going."

"Also Piper and Leo," Jason said.

"That leaves one more quest member," Percy said.

"I'll go," Reyna and Annabeth said at the same time, causing them both to glare at each other.

"Our Praetor should go," Octavian said. "She is a daughter of the war goddess."

Frank said, "Octavian, we know the only reason you want her to go is so you can take control of the camp."

Octavian glared in his direction. "Centurion Zhang, I wish our Praetor to go because we cannot trust the Greeks! She will keep them in line! Also, she is a better fighter than the Greeks."

"I have been at camp since I was seven! My mother is the goddess of wisdom _and _battle. I should be the seventh member!" Annabeth said. "Besides, didn't you hear the prophecy? _Wisdom's daughter walks alone/The mark of Athena burns through Rome_. Wisdom's daughter! The mark of Athena!"

"It does make since," Hazel said. "We need to go to Rome first, anyways. My brother's been captured by the giants, and I have a feeling Pluto wants us to rescue him."

"Who's your brother?" Annabeth asked, her face softening a little bit.

"Nico diAngelo," Hazel replied.

Annabeth gasped. "How do you know Nico? He's a G_reek _demigod!"

"We're not here to talk about the ambassador of Pluto!" Octavian shouted. "We're here to discuss the quest."

"I admit, you may have a point," Reyna told Annabeth. "Perhaps it is better if I stayed with my legion. They need a Praetor."

"Praetor, since when did we listen to _Graecus_? They need another good fighter! Romans are stronger than Greeks! They are going to be fighting, we are sure of it, so they must have another strong fighter! I doubt that she is any good with a weapon!"

Annabeth's eyes flashed. "Tell you what," she said. "Reyna and I will have a duel. The winner goes on the quest. The seven chosen will go to Rome first, while all of the other Greek and Roman campers go to Greece. Sound like a plan?"

"Agreed," Reyna said. "What do you think about holdingthe duel in half an hour?"

"Sounds good to me," Annabeth said.

"Dismissed, everyone," Reyna commanded. "Terminus will return your weapons when you cross the Pomerian line." As everyonestood up to go, she said, "Percy, Jason, meet me at the Principia in five minutes. I wish to talk to you."


	4. Note

**Okay, this next chapter is really, really long, so I broke it up into smaller parts. I'm going to update it not all at once, but section by section, because I know a lot of people hate long chapters. Also, I'd like to have your opinion: how often do you want me to update? Once every week? Thanks for the responses, and please continue to tell me what you think!**


	5. Percy

Percy

Percy decided that one of his last acts as Praetor would be to remove the bowl of Jelly Bellies from the _Principia_.

Percy met with Annabeth outside the Senate House. "I missed you, Wise Girl," he said hugging her.

"You too, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "It felt weird without someone doing something totally stupid at Camp."

"Excuse me?" Percy asked, pretending to be offended.

Annabeth laughed. It had been so long since Percy had seen Annabeth in person, had heard her laughing...

Suddenly, Annabeth drew back and punched Percy in the arm.

"OWWW!" Percy yelped. "What was that for?"

"For you leaving me!" Annabeth exclaimed furiously, then hugged Percy again.

Chuckling, Percy snuggled closer to Annabeth. "Okay, but next time, can you not do it so hard? I don't have the curse of Achilles, anymore."

"What?" Annabeth exclaimed. "How…"

"I'll explain later," Percy said. He sprinted off towards the _Principia _before he could get nailed by Annabeth again.

[POV is still Percy]

When Jason and Percy got to the _Principia_, Reyna was already there, sitting in one of the Praetor's chairs.

"Jason," she said. "I know it has been a long time since you've been at Camp Jupiter. It's only fair to let you know that some changes have been made." Percy couldn't make out her expression. Guilt? Sadness?

"Yeah, I know," Jason said. "Percy was made Praetor." He had surprised Percy. Percy had assumed that Jason would want his role as Praetor back.

"You couldn't go without a second Praetor for long," Jason continued.

"Actually," Percy interrupted. "Reyna has put off getting another Praetor until the Feast of Fortuna."

Jason looked surprised. "You were the only Praetor for about eight months?"

Reyna nodded unhappily.

Jason looked bewilderedly at Percy. "Well… to be honest, I don't see the Romans voting for a newcomer, even if he's been there for eight months. Normally it takes a few years, and even then, some don't achieve it."

"Jason, Percy was here about a week before the Feast of Fortuna," Reyna explained.

Jason was really confused now. "What…"

"I got involved in a quest with Hazel and Frank—he got here after you disappeared, you don't know him—where we unleashed Death, and came back to Camp Jupiter only to find the Romans occupied in a war with another giant. I…um… helped on the battlefield, and was raised on a shield." Percy gave Jason the short version. "I'll explain later, hopefully on the way to Rome."

"Right," Jason said, looking a bit overwhelmed. "So now you're Praetor."

"Look, Jason," Percy said. "You can have the position back if you want it. To be honest, I'm not really in to people following me. I'll probably lead them right into disaster."

To his shock, Jason shook his head. "No. You earned the position."

"That's only because Juno stole your memory in the middle of your term," Percy reminded Jason.

Jason declined again. "No. I'm positive."

Reyna was studying Jason. "Being with the Greeks has changed you, Jason. In that case, perhaps you and Percy can go on a walk. Perhaps Percy can tell you some of the changes made. In the meantime, I need to get ready for the battle."

For a second, Percy wondered what battle she was talking about. Then he remembered her duel with Annabeth. Percy and Jason nodded, and headed out of the door.

[POV is still Percy]

"So, Jason," Percy said when they were outside. "Care to tell me about your adventures while you were gone?"

Smiling, Jason shook his head. "Nah. I have a feeling we'll be left with a lot of extra time on the _Argo II_.

"Did you guys really make that?" At Jason's yes, Percy let out a low whistle.

"Wow, man. That's awesome. But shouldn't you have made an airplane if you wanted to go in the air?"

"The _Argo II_ can fly and sail," Jason explained. "Jupiter and Neptune's' relams."

Percy nodded. He opened his mouth to talk about something else, but he was interrupted.

"Hey, Percy. Nice going with Polybotes."

"Thanks, Marcus."

Percy and Jason walked a bit farther before returning to their conversation.

"So, before Juno took your memories, were you and Reyna—"

"Hey, Percy. You must be Jason." Frank said, Hazel by his side.

"Hey, Frank," Percy said, smiling. "Jason, this is Frank, and you may or may not remember Hazel. They were the two who went on the quest with me to unleash Death."

Jason nodded. "Hey, Hazel. Nice to meet you, Frank."

Hazel nodded. "We should get going, but we wanted to welcome you back, Jason. Percy, Annabeth asked us if we ran across you to tell you that she's getting ready for the duel. She said that, after her duel, meet her next to the _Argo II_."

Percy nodded. "Thanks."

Hazel and Frank headed off towards the Coliseum, where the duel was going to take place. Jason watched them go.

"You sure made a lot of friends here," he said a little enviously.

Percy shrugged. "Actually, Hazel and Frank were my only friends when I got here. When we came back from the quest, it was like we were instant celebrities—but Octavian still hated us, me in particular."

Jason nodded. "I hated Octavian. I still do, as a matter of fact. But don't tell him I said that."

Percy smiled a bit. "You got it."

Percy and Jason talked some more, warming up to each other. They both refused to talk about their quests without the other five members of the Great Prophecy there, but they talked about their time at the camps. Occasionally they were interrupted by someone congratulating Percy. Most of them ignored Jason. Every time that happened, Jason's stomach tightened, and he became more resentful of Percy, though he knew it wasn't Percy's fault.

"You would think they would get tired of doing that," Percy said after an encounter with a Roman congratulating him. "So, what's your weapon?"

The two started to head over to the Coliseum to watch the duel. Percy lowered his voice.

"Jason, honestly, who do you want to win this battle? Of course, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Percy added quickly.

Jason looked around to see if anyone was near them. Seeing the coast was clear, he lowered his voice like Percy. "Honestly… Annabeth. Reyna is an awesome fighter and all, but Annabeth is too. Also, I want her to keep the legion in hand. They'll listen to her, and she'll make the right decision. But if Octavian gets control…" he trailed off.

Percy nodded. "Maybe brains are required, too. We'll need Annabeth for that, because she's the most logical one. Also, that part about 'Wisdom's daughter walks alone'… well, I don't know what that means for sure, but I think it refers to Annabeth. And since we're only going to Rome to free Nico and stop a giant, while the actual fight will be in Greece, Reyna should be there. She's a good fighter, too."

Jason agreed with that statement. "But what happens if Reyna wins the duel?" he asked.

Percy had no reply to that, but thankfully, he didn't have to answer, because just then, the gong rang out.

Leo stood on the floor of the arena, acting as commentator. "These are the rules: the competitors will _not _be allowed to wear any armor. They may only use _one _weapon. The first one to draw blood wins. It can be just a small cut, too. The competitors have agreed to refrain killing the other one or maiming the other one so badly that they will be unconscious for a week or more. The winner's prize is: she gets to be one of the seven mentioned in the Great Prophecy. If Annabeth wins, obviously Reyna goes back to leading her camp. If Reyna wins, she goes on the quest, and there will be an election for a new Praetor. Thirty minutes after the duel, Centurions, the seven mentioned in the prophecy, and—if she's still Praetor—Reyna will meet in the Senate Houseto discuss terms. I, for one, don't know where that is, so I'm just going to follow one of you Romans there, 'kay? Good. So, let's have our competitors come out!"

Annabeth and Reyna came out of two doors opposite each other. They were both armed with knives. Annabeth looked up to the stands and met Percy's eyes. She grinned and winked. Percy smiled back at her.

"So, if it starts to get boring, we're going to have to crank things up. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do to make it more interesting, because that'll ruin the fun. Now, unfortunately," Leo said, sounding a bit put out. "I can't commentate during the battle, because it may mess up their concentration. So, this is Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander of the _Argo II, _signing out. Good night, folks!" Leo waved and went back up the benches, ignoring the confused looks most of the Romans gave him.

"The duel will begin…now!" Reyna announced, to the cheers of everyone on the bleachers.

Reyna and Annabeth circled each other warily. Suddenly, Reyna lunged, her knife aimed at Annabeth's neck. The crowd gasped, but Annabeth raised her knife to defend it at the last second. Percy understood why she was waiting. She had wanted to make sure Reyna wasn't faking. Reyna started to back up, but Annabeth had seen an opening and jabbed with her knife. Reyna deflected the dagger that was aiming for her leg, but Annabeth used the momentum to just aim for Reyna's arm without having to stop and withdraw from the fight.

Reyna was forced to block the dagger again instead of going on the offense. The two exchanged some more thrusts and parries. For a minute, it looked like Reyna had won when she suddenly changed from attacking Annabeth's right arm to dropping to a crouch and stabbing at her left leg. There was no way Annabeth could get her knife down there in time, so she just sidestepped. Reyna started to get up again, but before she could reach a fully standing position, Annabeth attacked, knowing that Reyna wouldn't be fully balanced. Reyna raised her dagger to defend, but before Annabeth's knife even got anywhere near Reyna, Annabeth used her leg to sweep Reyna's legs out from underneath her. Reyna's momentum went against her, and she fell hard on her back. Reyna tried to roll to the side, but Annabeth blocked her with her leg. Annabeth quickly dropped down to a crouch. She quickly disarmed Reyna then leaned her knife against Reyna's arm. The crowd was deadly silent. Annabeth murmured something to Reyna, but no one could hear what it was. Then Annabeth ran the side of her knife against Reyna's arm. The cut was not deep, but it caused blood to spurt out of the wound nonetheless.

Stepping back, Annabeth sheathed her dagger and offered Reyna a hand up. Glaring, Reyna got up without Annabeth's help and went to retrieve her knife.

"OH, YEAH! IN YOUR FACE, ROMANS! GREEKS RULE!" Leo burst out randomly.

Everyone turned their attention to Leo. Piper hit him on the arm. Reyna cleared her throat, drawing all attention back to her. She had retrieved her knife and stuck it back in its sheath. When she spoke, her voice was tight. "Will the seven spoken of in the Prophecy of Seven come with me, along with all Centurions." With that, she turned and stormed off towards the Senate House.


	6. ReynaPercy

**Sorry I haven't posted in a long time! I'll try and do it more often! **

[POV changes to Reyna]

Reyna stormed into the Senate House, the others far behind. She took a deep breath. Calm. She needed to remain calm. Reyna closed her eyes, taking deep, slow breaths. She couldn't lose her composure. She was better than that Annabeth girl in every way. Clearly Annabeth had been favored by Fortuna. Or maybe it had been destiny to stay with her camp. How dare the _Graecus_, who was a guest at Camp Jupiter, insult the Praetor? Slowly, Reyna gained control of herself again, though she knew it wouldn't take much to set her off again. Reyna seated herself in the Praetor's chair and was greeted by Argentum and Aurum.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them. She sighed unhappily. Well, the duel was over. There was nothing she could do about that. Or was there? Reyna remembered what Annabeth had said just before she had she had won the duel. 'Percy is mine. Don't even think of stealing him'. As if she was Percy's girlfriend! She wanted to make Annabeth pay for embarrassing her in front of the entire camp. The beginning of a plan took shape in Reyna's mind. But she couldn't do that until the others got here. She estimated she had about three minutes. She needed to look dignified, not someone weeping at the feet of their enemy.

She straightened on the Praetor's seat and pulled her purple cape on. She pinned on her badges, which flashed and gleamed from being polished so many times.

When the others got there, Reyna stood up, ready to put her plan into action. She started walking towards Jason and saw to her bewilderment that he had his arm around Piper.

_Stop, _She told herself. _You can't fall to pieces. _In fact, this might help her plan. Now she could get her revenge on Annabeth and the Greeks _and _get Jason back all at once. It would be easier to get Jason than Percy.

"Jason," she said, stopping in front of him. "Come with me for a moment."

Jason nodded and took his arm off of Piper. He looked a little scared, as if Reyna would start blowing steam at any moment. Piper went to sit on the first row of seats while Reyna lead Jason outside.

"Look, Reyna, I can explain," Jason said as soon as they were outside.

"I know," Reyna said. "While you lost your memory, you fell for Piper."

Jason had shock registered all over his face.

"I must ask one thing, though," Reyna said. "Percy said he had… certain memories when he got here. Did you remember anything?"

Jason looked down. "Nothing," he admitted.

Reyna tried to keep her face a mask, but inside, her stomach clenched. "Well," she said. "I'm afraid there's no easy way to tell you this, but you cannot trust the Greeks."

Jason looked at her, bewildered. "Reyna, that's the whole point of Juno stealing Percy and my memories. So we could trust each other. And I do trust them. They've saved me enough times. They didn't kill me when they found out I was Roman."

Reyna sighed. "The Greeks are known for their deception. I must tell you, I saw Percy and Piper together, hugging each other on the beach. I'm afraid they're romantically involved."

Jason looked at her, his mouth open slightly, but he shut it quickly. "No. Percy's cool. And he's dating Annabeth. Piper wouldn't…"

"Jason, you must accept the truth. If you don't believe me, watch them yourself."

Reyna turned to go back into the Senate House with a small smile playing on her lips when Jason's voice stopped her.

"Reyna… are you mad that Percy's… you know, taken?"

"Of course not," Reyna said, ignoring the clench in her throat. "We were never involved. Now, we must get back inside."

Reyna and Jason walked into the Senate House together, and the talking ceased. Jason walked to the seats, and Piper patted the one next to hers. Jason glanced back at Reyna, then turned his attention back to Piper. She smiled at him and held his hand as he sat down.

Jason noticed that their eagle was back, behind the Praetors' table. He assumed he would find out that story soon enough.

"Here's the plan," Reyna said when everyone was seated and quieted down. "The seven mentioned in the Great Prophecy will go to Rome. They'll free Nico di Angelo, and kill the giant guarding him. Those seven are: Jason, Percy, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth. I will lead the Roman camp to New York, where we will meet up with your camp…"

"Camp Half-Blood," Percy supplied. He smiled. He would be glad to see Camp Half-Blood again. "Then both camps will go to Greece, along with the Amazons. Those of us who are going on the quest to free Nico will meet you there when he's rescued. When we get to Greece, Gaea's forces will probably try to get to the _original _Mount Olympus, and it will be up to us to stop them. Death has been unleashed, so we can kill them. They might find their way back through the Doors of Death, though, but it'll be harder for them. Maybe when we free Nico, he can try and find the Doors of Death."

"That didn't work out so well last time," Hazel muttered.

"We'll find out when we get there," Percy said. "Trust me, I'm good at improvising."

"Yeah," Piper said. "From what Annabeth's told us… you're the master of improvisation. But we have a plan. We have a ship. The world is ending. Let's go!"

Octavian stood up and approached the Praetors' table. "Praetors, I find one little issue in mind."

"Of course you do," Percy muttered, casting Octavian a dirty look.

"I have read the entrails, and the auguries say that the choice of quest members is unfavorable. There are four _Graecus_; five if you count Jason here. I still don't think that we can trust the _Graecus_. I find it hard to believe that Juno would want us to go on a quest with those who have been our enemies for countless generations. Why can we trust them? They are known for their deceit."

Percy sighed. "Octavian, we've been over this. Juno swapped Jason and me around and stole our memories so that the two camps would be united. We'll all die if we fight them on our own. Together, we have a chance of winning."

"Praetor Jackson—" Octavian started.

"No, that's enough," Percy said firmly.

Octavian sneered. "These _Graecus—"_ he gestured wildly. One of his flailing hands accidentally caught the bowl of Jelly Bellies on the Praetor's table. The bowl of jelly beans was knocked over, and all of the contents flew out, hitting many of those seated, the _Graecus _in particular.

Many of the Romans burst out laughing, because most of the Greeks had Jelly Bellies in their hair. Even Reyna had to try hard not to burst out laughing.

Annabeth's eyes flashed murderously, but Leo laughed like it was all good fun. He took some jelly beans from out of his hair and threw it at some of the Romans in the seats. Henry ended up having a jelly bean strike him in the eye. He yelped and covered it, yelling "My eye! My eye!" Before long it was an all-out food fight.

Reyna couldn't believe the way the Roman soldiers were acting. She could expect it from the Greeks, but the Romans were well-disciplined. "Stop!" she yelled, but the situation was out of her hands. Even Argentum and Aurum were rolling on their backs, leaping in the air, trying to catch the thrown candy. Jelly beans were flying everywhere, hitting just about everything.

[POV changes to Percy]

Percy couldn't believe the way his friends were acting. They really needed to impress the Romans, and they were acting like kids. Not to mention that, with the promise he made that the Greeks and Romans would get along well, he could very well assume that Octavian was thinking about how to kill Percy already. Sure the Greeks would be fighting for their lives soon, but this was not scoring points with the Romans. And they needed to get along with the Romans, or else all of them would die.

Percy searched for Annabeth, getting hit with many Jelly Bellies on the way. Who knew jelly beans could be so painful? Finally, he found Annabeth in the throng. She wasn't throwing Jelly Beans, but rather, trying to stop everyone from throwing Jelly Beans. "Got a plan, Owl Head?" Percy asked her.

Before she could answer, a commanding voice yelled "STOP!"

Obediently, everyone stopped what they were doing. Percy turned around to find Piper standing there, glaring. Her eyes were glowing green. "Stop," she commanded again. "Clean everything up." Everyone did as she told them to, then they sat down.

"Honestly," Piper said. "You're all acting like little children!"

Octavian opened his mouth, but shut up at the glare Piper gave him. "I'm talking about Greeks and Romans alike. We need to get along together, or else we all die. We have to fight Gaea, not our allies! If you're fighting each other, then we've lost the war already." She sat down.

Suddenly, a stern woman's voice boomed out of nowhere. "She's right. It was a risky plan, but one worth taking if you cooperate."

"Wh…who…" Octavian stuttered.

The woman speaking shimmered into existence. She was the size of a regular woman, but had an aura of power around her. She was wearing jeans and a white shirt. She had gray eyes, like storm clouds, full of wisdom. The same gray eyes that someone else in that room had.

"Mom?" Annabeth asked.

Athena smiled. "Hello, Annabeth."

Everyone fell on their knees in front of the goddess.

"Mount Olympus has been opened again. Zeus—or Jupiter, whichever you prefer—has admitted that we cannot lure the earth goddess back to sleep," Athena said.

"I don't suppose that means that the gods are going to be coming to Greece with us?" Leo said hopefully.

Athena shook her head. "The heart of the West is still in America. We cannot go to Rome or Greece.

"But then how are we going to defeat any giants?" Percy asked.

Annabeth and Athena sighed. "The gods don't have to be there _physically_," Annabeth explained. "You just have to be _aided _by one in order to defeat a giant."

"Oh."

"He has a way with words, doesn't he?" Athena said to Annabeth, making Percy blush.

Athena turned to Percy. "You know my feelings with your relationship with my daughter. Stay away from her.

"Now, I must get back to Olympus. We have much to do if we are to survive." Athena shimmered and disappeared.


	7. Percy 2

[POV is still Percy]

Annabeth and Percy walked down towards the lake. Annabeth sighed. "It's been so long since I've seen you, Seaweed Brain. I missed you," she said.

"Missed you too, Wise Girl," Percy replied.

"There's just one thing I'm wondering," Annabeth started.

"What? Wise Girl doesn't know something?" Percy joked.

Annabeth elbowed him lightly in the ribs, but smiled.

"How did you stay alive without me watching your back? I mean, knowing you, they would've kicked you out of camp."

"Haha. I'm not laughing," Percy smiled.

Annabeth's smile faded. "Percy… what were you saying about you losing the curse of Achilles?"

"Apparently the curse of Achilles was a Greek gift, and I couldn't have it in Roman territory. The Little Tiber river surrounding the camp washed it away."

Annabeth sighed again. "Great. Now you can be injured all over, not just that one spot. So are you going to tell me about your quest?"

Percy gave her a playful grin. "Nope. I'll save it for the trip to Rome."

Annabeth sighed and then changed subjects, knowing she wouldn't get any more out of Percy. "Oh my gosh, Percy, did you see the architecture here? It's amazing!" Annabeth said excitedly. "Sorry, I know you don't care, I just had to say it."

"You're right. I don't care. But when it's you saying it…" Percy wiggled his eyebrows.

Annabeth smiled. "The Roman camp changed you, Percy, in many ways, but I see your brain is still full of kelp."

"Race you to the lake, Wise Girl?"

"You're on, Seaweed Brain."

Percy and Annabeth arrived at the lake at the same time.

"I so won," Percy said.

"Did not. It was a tie!"

"I won, but I'll let it go this time," Percy told her.

Annabeth laughed. Her eyes wandered over Percy's shoulder. "Percy," she muttered. "Who is that?"

Percy turned around and saw Tyson talking to a harpy with red feathers.

"C'mon," Percy said. "I'll show you."

When they were just a few feet away, the harpy noticed them. "Hi. Ella says hi. Tyson is Ella's friend. 'Friends. Ten seasons. 1994 to 2004'."

"Um… hello, Ella. I'm Tyson and Percy's friend, Annabeth."

"Annabeth. Daughter of Athena. 'Wisdom's daughter walks alone/ The mark of Athena burns through Rome'."

Annabeth looked at Percy. "What's she doing?"

"She can remember everything she reads," Percy explained. "She read a copy of the Syballine Books—like the Oracle, except the books were lost long ago—so, she read a half-burned copy of the books, and she was the first to recite 'Wisdom's daughter walks alone/The mark of Athena burns through Rome'."

"Come on," Annabeth said. "We should go and get some sleep. We're heading off tomorrow, and I have a feeling we won't get much sleep when the war starts."


	8. Jason 2

Jason

Jason didn't know who to believe— his long time friend and coworker or his new girlfriend.

On the way to the _Argo II_ the next morning, Jason tried to figure out if Reyna was lying or not.

Jason couldn't believe that Percy would desert Annabeth. With the way Annabeth was crying for her boyfriend, and the way the two looked at each other when they finally met… well, it was hard to believe Percy would cheat on her. And Percy had just met Piper… then again, maybe Piper thought that Jason would want to go back to Reyna and so she used her charmspeak on Percy. Maybe she wanted to break up with Jason, but didn't want to say it, so she was using Percy to break up with him. Then again, Piper and Annabeth were good friends. Jason didn't believe that Piper would do this to Annabeth just when she found her boyfriend again. But Jason had a hard time believing that Reyna would lie to him. The whole thing was so confusing. He was a son of Jupiter, not Venus. He had no idea what was going on.

Jason tried to put the whole confusing matter out of his head. It was time to embark on their quest.

The camp quartermaster provided them all with two extra camp shirts, some baggies of nectar, some canteens of ambrosia, snacks, some mortal money, and camping supplies. Before the seven from the prophecy went to Rome, they would again stop at Camp Half-Blood to refuel. Jason knew that Percy would want to see his friends from camp again before he went on the quest. Reyna had given them the camp scroll of introduction from the Praetor and Centurions. If shown the letter, any retired legionnaires would be obliged to help them.

The seven chosen stood in front of the ship while Reyna was giving them a last farewell and wish of good fortune on behalf of all of Camp Jupiter. Jason felt that somehow the warm goodbye from all of the camp included Octavian. He was probably happy to see them going on a suicidal mission.

At last, the seven boarded the ship and started to take off.

"Leo, can we have a smooth liftoff, please?" Jason said, remembering their landing at Camp Jupiter.

"Sure thing," Leo said. True to his word, the liftoff had no problems.

"Why couldn't we have landed like that when we arrived at Camp Jupiter?" Piper grumbled.

"Guys, I don't know all of you well, and I think I should if we're to work together," Hazel suggested.

"Good idea," Frank immediately agreed.

"Okay. Leo, put this thing on autopilot," Annabeth commanded, hand in hand with Percy.

"You got it," Leo agreed, flicking a few switches. "Okay, we're on autopilot. Why did you tell me to do that?"

"We need to know each other if we're going to work together. We need to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I'm also thinking that we should tell our quests to one another," Annabeth suggested.

"What, so you can criticize me for being a kelp head again?" Percy demanded.

Annabeth laughed. Leo, Piper, and Jason were surprised, because they hadn't heard Annabeth laugh in months.

All of them sat down in a circle.

"I'll go first," Leo suggested. "I am a son of Hephaestus—that's Vulcan," he added, for benefit of the Romans. "Gaea caused me to use my gift when I was younger, and it resulted in the death of my mom."

"What's your gift?" Frank asked.

Leo smiled. "Fire!" He caused his hand to erupt in flames.

Frank and Hazel jumped back, as if burned. They were staring at the fire in shock.

"Leo, I think you should put that fire out," Annabeth said seriously.

"Um, okay," Leo agreed, puzzled by Frank and Hazel's reactions. He extinguished the fire, and Frank and Hazel sat down warily.

"I'm the daughter of Aphrodite—Venus—and I can charmspeak," Piper explained.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"I can ask people for something, and I usually get what I want. For example, I can persuade someone into giving me a car. The thing is, they'll wonder why they did that soon enough, and they'll come after me with police."

"I'm the son of Jupiter. I can control the winds… sometimes… I led Camp Jupiter to Mount Orthys and I defeated Krios in hand-to-hand combat. I'm also the brother of Thalia Grace, hunter of Artemis."

"What?" Percy yelped. "Thalia had a brother… and she never told us… what was she thinking!?

Jason explained the story of how they got separated that picnic.

Percy nodded. "I just don't understand why she didn't tell us…"

"That was her decision," Annabeth reminded Percy.

"And I'm fighter of a giant, Bane of Athena, and killer of Minos," Jason finished.

"Um, I'm Hazel. I am the daughter of Pluto, sister to Nico—"

"I can't believe that they didn't tell us that they had a sibling!" Percy exclaimed.

"Percy, calm down!" Annabeth said.

"Um, and I'm…" Hazel looked at Frank, as if asking for permission. "Bearer of the stick of life."

"What does that mean?" Leo asked.

"I'll leave it to Frank to explain."

Everyone looked at Frank expectantly. "I'm the son of Mars, descendant of Neptune."

Annabeth looked at Percy. "Now who's not telling that they have a sibling?" she joked.

Percy shook his head. "I'm the son of Nep—I mean Poseidon. Frank's a descendant. That means that Frank is my great-great-great- something great- grandson."

"Can I call you Grandpa Jackson?" Annabeth said playfully.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Annabeth smiled again.

Frank cleared his throat. "I have a gift from Neptune. I can shape- shift into an animal. But because I have a gift… that means my life is easier to end. When I was young, Juno said to my grandmother that if a stick—the stick Hazel's carrying for me—burns, then I die."

Everyone stared at Frank for a moment before Annabeth continued.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, official architect of Olympus, demigod fighter in the war against Kronos, leader of the quest in the Labyrinth. I fought in the battle of the Labyrinth, held up the sky, and I'm girlfriend of Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus." Annabeth smiled at Percy. "By the way, my mother doesn't exactly approve of my relationship with Percy, so don't bring it up in front of her."

Percy looked thoughtful. "We may be able to use that, like I did with Terminius."

"What?" Jason asked, confused.

"Never mind," Percy quickly said. "Anyways, I'm the son of Poseidon, not Neptune, I'm retriever of Zeus' master bolt, slayer of Medusa, fighter—and winner— in a battle against Ares, Nobody (Annabeth smiled, getting it, while everyone else looked confused), I held up the sky, I descended into the Labyrinth and came out sane… well, as sane as I can be… and I fought in the Battle of the Labyrinth, survived a dip in the River Styx, and fought 4 Titans as well as the giant Polybotes." Everyone was staring at him, including Annabeth.

"YOU FOUGHT A GIANT?!" Annabeth demanded.

"I'll explain later. But I think I should hear about Leo, Jason, and Piper's quest first, as well as Jason's battle with Krios," Percy said.

Jason explained about the battle with Krios. Leo and Piper took turns explaining their quest to save Hera.

"Hand-to-hand combat with a titan and a giant, not to mention facing Medea and King Minos on the way?" Frank asked. "Wow."

"I want to hear about your quest, now," Leo said, "and Percy's adventures before Camp Jupiter, too."

Frank and Hazel told about their quest. Percy told everyone about his quests. By the time they were all done, they had been on the ship for about an hour and they were passing over Tennessee. Percy only managed to finish the stories of all of his adventures by shortening them immensely.

"You defeated Medusa, fought—and won—a battle against Ares, retrieved Zeus' master bolt, got a Cyclopes for a brother, took on another Cyclopes, carried the weight of the sky, defeated the Nemean Lion, and got the son of Hades mad at you, then became his best friend, went into the Labyrinth, fought in a battle right after you got back from the Labyrinth, defeated Iapetus, survived a dip in the River Styx— which only two other people have done before— defeated Hyperion, Atlas, and Kronos, and refused the gift of immortality in order to get other demigods claimed, then had your gift of Achilles washed away, your memories wiped, and you go and defend Frank against a small army, sacrifice yourself to defeat an army of undead soldiers only to not be dead, and then you defeat the bane of your father," Piper said incredibly.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Percy agreed.

"Man, you are AWESOME!" Leo ran over and gave Percy a high five, then sat down again.

Jason was shocked. He had thought that he had accomplished so much. Who else could say that they've been in hand-to-hand combat with a titan and won? Apparently Percy. And not once, but four times!

"Um, I think that that's enough of story time tonight," Percy said, obviously uncomfortable with everyone staring at him.

"Yeah," Leo said, and stopped staring at Percy. "I'd better get back to the wheel. Romans, prepare to land at Camp Half-Blood. We land in half an hour."


	9. Frank

Frank

Frank wondered if, in the Greek camps, it was tradition to get skewered by your "friends" after being seen for the first time in eight months.

The _Argo II_ landed on a hill. At the top of the hill, there was a large dragon curled around a tree, steam blowing out of its nostrils. On a branch of the pine tree hung the Golden Fleece. Frank shook his head. He could practically feel the power of the Golden Fleece radiating over the hill.

"Come on, guys. Time for you to meet the demigods of Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth said, taking Percy by the hand and leading them up the hill.

Looking at Percy, Frank saw something he didn't expect. Percy looked completely relaxed. He looked at home. Even when he came back to Camp Jupiter after they defeated Alcyoneus, Percy didn't look like this. Camp Half-Blood was his true home.

Frank didn't know what he had been expecting—maybe little huts, like teepees, maybe a house or two. He had thought that the Romans were masters of architecture, and he thought that the Greeks would be less civilized than the Romans.

When he got to the top of the hill, step for step with Hazel, his eyes widened. There was a whole camp layout—the woods took up about a quarter of the valley. There was a rock climbing wall, along with an amphitheater, and a volleyball court. There was a big blue building, and there was an arts-and-crafts building, too. Frank could see a rock climbing wall, and the strangest thing was, there were boulders and lava streaming down the walls. The walls even clashed together!

There seemed to be some sort of gathering at a campfire. The seven approached the campfire and joined the back of the group, unnoticed by any of the other people. Frank was shocked to see that the one addressing a crowd was a centaur. There were centaurs in Polybotes' army, and so, naturally, Frank's first instinct was to attack. But the centaur didn't seem to be causing any harm to the campers. Looking closer, Frank saw that this one didn't have any horns. Maybe he was a tame centaur.

"Some of you know this, but others don't, so I would like to inform them before it happens: we think we have located Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, lost hero of Olympus."

There was some murmuring throughout the crowd, but all talking stopped when Chiron held up his hand.

"Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and Jason Grace have gone out to locate Percy. They are five of the prophecy. They will pick some Romans, and come back here before they head to Greece in the _Argo II_. The Roman camp will meet up with us here in a few days, and then we, too, will go to Greece. We will have people keeping watch for them. Off to your activities!"

The centaur turned, and caught a glimpse of them. He broke into a wide, relieved grin. "Percy! Wonderful to see you again, alive and in one piece!"

Percy laughed. "Nice to see you too, Chiron."

Even Frank knew Chiron—trainer of half-bloods, including Hercules and Achilles. But it couldn't be _the _Chiron… could it?

"Peeeeerrrcy!" A faun came barreling out of the crowd. "Do you remember me? Do you remember anything? Do you remember everything? You're my personal servant. You do everything I want. Okay, so, can you bring me peeled grapes?"

Percy laughed. "Nice try, G-man."

"Awww," the faun said, pretending to pout. But then he brightened. "But you remember! And you're alive!"

"Believe me, I came close to dying a few times, but I survived, thanks to Frank and Hazel," he said. Percy turned to Frank and Hazel. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Grover. He's been my best friend since 6th grade, and I have an empathy link with him. He discovered the Golden Fleece and is a member of the Council of the Cloven Elders and a lord of the Wild. Oh, and satyrs here are different from the fauns at your camp."

When Chiron looked at Frank, he felt a bit uncomfortable. As if those warm brown eyes were searching inside of him.

"Well," Chiron said, "All camp counselors, please report to the Big House. You too, Grover."

"Not yet," a voice from the crowd growled. The campers moved aside to reveal a girl. She had brown hair, long and stringy. She had huge muscles and looked like she wanted to pick a fight. She stormed right up to Percy. It didn't help to reassure Frank when he saw that she was brandishing a spear flickering with red light.

"So, saving Olympus isn't good enough for you, Prissy. You need more glory. You disappear for eight months, then suddenly show up with an even bigger ego than before, which I didn't think was possible."

Percy smiled. "Good to see you, too, Clarisse. And the disappearing wasn't my fault. If you have a problem with that, you should go speak to Ju—I mean, Hera."

Thunder rumbled outside, as if warning Clarisse not to come speak to Hera.

Clarisse glared at Percy, then punched him.

"OW! Clarisse! This is not the reunion I'd hoped for," Percy said, cradling his hurt shoulder.

Clarisse rolled her eyes, then her whole face lit up as a thought struck her. "Wait. You can get injured. What happened to the mark of Achilles?"

"Um… I kind of lost it when I crossed into the Roman territory."

Clarisse smiled. "The punk can get hurt now! Haha! Of course, that's not going to help in the war. Why'd you do that, punk?"

Percy pouted. "I didn't do it on purpose."

Chiron intervened. "Okay, that's enough, Clarisse. Percy, you can catch up with your friends later. Camp counselors, to the Big House. Rachel and Grover, you too. And, Percy, there's someone who's been looking forwards to your return for quite a while."

As if waiting for those words, a black comet shot down from the sky and landed right in front of Percy.


	10. Percy 3

Percy

Percy knew that he might die in battle. But, when he got to Camp Half-Blood, he was afraid his Pegasus would trample him to death.

As soon as Blackjack's hooves touched the pavement, he cantered right up to Percy and nudged him with his nose so enthusiastically, Percy almost fell over.

"Boss!" Blackjack spoke in his mind. "You're not dead!"

Percy laughed. "Blackjack! Nah, of course I'm not dead. Though, to be honest, I came close quite a few times."

Piper, Leo, and Jason looked at Percy a bit funnily.

"Since Poseidon created horses, I can speak to them in my mind," Percy explained.

"Dude, that is cool!" Leo exclaimed, and even Piper and Jason looked a bit impressed.

"How did those Romans treat you?" Blackjack wondered. He looked at Hazel and Frank curiously. "Who're those people? Romans? Did they give you any doughnuts?"

Percy laughed. "No to the doughnuts, they're my friends Frank and Hazel, yes they're Romans, and most of the Romans treated me well."

Blackjack made a whinnying sound. "Which of the Romans was stupid enough to be rude to you? Come on, let me trample them! And they didn't give you doughnuts? That proves they're crazy!"

Percy shook his head, smiling. "Blackjack, no trampling any Romans, least of all Frank and Hazel. And just because they don't give you doughnuts doesn't mean they're evil. Oh, and by the way, I still owe you some. Sorry I didn't bring them with me."

Blackjack shook his head. "Nah, you don't owe me any doughnuts. You saved me on—on that ship, remember? But I wouldn't say no to doughnuts… or, for that matter, sugar cubes either."

Percy laughed again. "Same old Blackjack," he muttered.

"Come on, let's go for a ride! It's been a long time! Please, Boss?" Blackjack pleaded.

"Blackjack, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Boss? Sorry, but I think we have to have a meeting to, you know, discuss the fate of the world and stuff. Maybe we can go for a ride around camp after that."

Blackjack whinnied. "Sounds good, Boss. But I'm coming with you. No one's going to kidnap you with Blackjack on duty!" Blackjack looked at Hazel, who was staring at him, wide-eyed.

"Why is she looking at me funny? My coat's groomed, isn't it?" Blackjack asked.

Percy laughed. "Nah, she just likes horses a lot. And, you know, 'cause you're so breathtakingly magnificent and all."

Blackjack whinnied and arched his back, trying to look as magnificent as he could. "Thanks, Boss. Now let's go get some doughnuts to take to the meeting."


	11. Annabeth 2

[POV changes to Annabeth]

Annabeth couldn't believe how much her boyfriend had changed.

Sure, she didn't expect him to be exactly the same after eight months, but she didn't expect him to have changed this much. The Roman camp had changed him. Now he radiated power (not that he didn't before), and he seemed more… confident. Back before he had been abducted by Hera, he hadn't been this outgoing. He hadn't really been shy, but he had sort of kept to himself.

She shook her head. What did it matter, if she had Percy back? The answer was that it didn't matter at all. She was just glad to see her boyfriend again.

Annabeth laced her fingers through Percy's on the way to the Big House. Percy smiled at her. Gods, it was good to have him back. Of course, soon they'd be in another war, but at least Percy would be next to Annabeth, fighting side by side with her.

Blackjack trotted along next to Percy. He had refused to leave Percy alone, because he was convinced that Percy would get abducted again if Blackjack didn't come along. No matter how much they had tried to explain to Blackjack that the danger was over, he refused to budge, and was now accompanying them to the meeting.

Speaking of Blackjack, Annabeth was relieved to see he was better. Ever since Percy had disappeared, Blackjack had gone searching the world looking for Percy, accompanying Annabeth sometimes and going alone sometimes. When he came back to camp after not finding Percy, he was off his food. He spent most of his time outside Percy's cabin or watching for Percy along the borders of Camp Half-Blood from the sky.

They reached the Big House and sat down around the ping-pong table.

"Welcome, Romans," Chiron formally greeted. "What are your names and godly parent?"

"Um, I'm Frank Zhang. I'm the son of Mars, and a descendent of the Argonaut Periclymenus, who was granted the ability to turn into any animal by Nep—Poseidon."

"I'm Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto." Hazel waited to see the horrified or disgusted looks on peoples' faces, but received none. That is, except for someone from the Aphrodite cabin.

"Does that mean you'll be as creepy as Nico?"

"Drew!" Piper exclaimed.

Hazel shook her head. "I still can't believe it that he was a Greek demigod," she muttered, then continued with her greeting. "I died in 1942. I was brought back to life by Nico, who was looking for his sister. Any time I get nervous, or by my own will, I can bring up jewels from the ground."

"Awesome! Can you call up, like, some diamonds for us? We'll be rich!"

"Connor, are you serious? The world's about to end, and you care about _that_?"

"Besides," Hazel quickly added, "my stones are cursed. Like, if you touch one, you could lose your eye or die. So, try to stay away from the stones if you see any popping up around me."

"Oh," Connor said.

"So, we don't have Praetors. We have, like, a head counselor for each of the cabins. You stay in a cabin determined by your godly parent," Percy explained.

"This is Connor and Travis, head counselors for the Hermes cabin," Annabeth explained, then leaned closer and whispered, "watch your wallet near them. Then this is Clarisse, head counselor for Ares, so she's your half-sister, Frank."

Clarisse looked Frank up and down as if studying him. "What's your weapon?"

"I'm best with a bow and arrow," Frank explained.

Annabeth quickly explained everyone's names and which cabin they were the counselor of, and then Chiron got down to business.

"You shall load up on supplies here, and get some rest. You'll leave the day after tomorrow, after you have had time to rest and catch up with your friends." He directed the last part to Percy.

"So that's what it means," Annabeth mumbled. "Of course, they've already helped…"

"Owl Head, just tell us what's going on in that brain of yours instead of having us guess," Clarisse snapped impatiently.

"It's a new prophecy I said in the Roman camp," Rachel explained, suddenly joining in the conversation. Annabeth had already told her what she had said.

"The prophecy is this:

_The prince of death shall be made free_

_By children of the Big Three._

_The final battle shall be at the roots_

_You shall be aided by the new recruits._

_Wisdom's daughter walks alone_

_The mark of Athena burns through Rome."_

"So, the 'new recruits' would be the new campers we have, and they've helped you make the _Argo II_. The rest of the prophecy will occur in time," Chiron said thoughtfully.

Annabeth didn't argue about trying to unravel the prophecy. They often had double meanings.

"This is the plan: the seven in the prophecy will leave for Rome, and free Nico, hopefully finding out more about Gaea's forces and their plans while you're there. Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary will get here tomorrow. As of now, they're still at Camp Jupiter. In about four days, the Roman camp will be here, and we will all go to Greece, and prepare the defenses on Mount Olympus. Remember, we are all the gods have left. If we fail, the gods and the whole world as we know it will collapse. Now, off to bed."

Annabeth really wished that Chiron wasn't so gloomy and then sent them all to bed. He was like: "_Your lives are in danger, and the whole world depends on if we fail or not. Sweet dreams!"_

Annabeth walked over to Percy. Gods, was it good to see him again. When he saw her, his entire face lit up. She sighed. It had been too long since she had seen that face.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain. Race you to the beach?" Annabeth asked.

"You will so lose," he answered. The two ran towards the shore, unaware that everyone else at the meeting was watching them.

Percy and Annabeth ran side by side. Finally, Percy pulled ahead when they were just a hundred yards from the edge of the water, and made a big tidal wave reach up on shore to reach him.

Percy grinned. "I won."

Annabeth elbowed him. "You only did because you cheated."

"Did not! I won fair and square, and you know it, Wise Girl."

Annabeth playfully sighed. "I'll give you a pass this time, because you just returned alive from the Roman camp and all."

Percy grinned at her, and Annabeth swore she nearly felt her heart stop. "You know," he said quietly. "I did remember _one_ thing when I arrived at Camp Jupiter, other than my name."

Annabeth's heart got faster. "And what was that?" she asked.

"You," Percy replied. "Your face. Your name. That you were my girlfriend and you kissed me when I did something stupid."

Annabeth laughed, her eyes shining in the moonlight. "Yeah. From what I heard, you did quite a few stupid things in the Roman camp, so I think some of those kisses are long overdue."

The two of them were so close together that they could see reflections of themselves in each other's eyes. They leaned closely together, but before they kissed Percy paused.

"It has been forever since things have been peaceful," he said.

"Percy, things aren't peaceful right now. You should know that best of all."

"I know. But right now, I mean, this is what is peaceful. Being alone with you, letting go of the 'fate of the world' business for now." Percy paused. "And I'm glad it's you, not Reyna, to watch my back."

The two of them leaned closely together and shared a deep kiss, full of meaning, love, and happiness. For a moment, neither of them moved a muscle, just relishing a moment. And then they slowly drew away from each other, each one sad that the moment was over.

Percy smiled. "That was nice."

Annabeth agreed wholeheartedly, and hugged Percy, putting her head on his shoulder. They just stood like that for a moment.

"We should probably get back," Annabeth said reluctantly taking her head off of Percy's shoulder, after they had been there for a while. "Race you back to the cabins? No cheating this time."

"What, is my company not enjoyable?" Percy asked in mock hurt, and Annabeth laughed. "Okay. Let's go."

Together, they sped back to the cabins, hand in hand with each other.

They reached the new wing of cabins including Hades, Iris, Janus, Morpheus, and several other gods' cabins. They just stood there, catching their breath, still hand in hand.

"That was nice," Percy said.

"I know." Annabeth wholeheartedly agreed.

"Do you want to do it again?" Percy asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Annabeth burst out laughing.

"I can't say no to you when you have that cute puppy-dog face on," she said.

"I know," Percy said.

The two of them leaned towards each other again. The moon was full, bathing everything in a silvery light. They were only an inch apart from each other when Frank burst across the yard towards them. "Percy! Come quick!" he yelled. "It's Hazel!"


	12. Hazel

Hazel

Hazel was having a nice day until the dream about her brother.

When Annabeth and Percy ran off towards the beach, they had no idea that anyone was watching them. Clarisse was in favor of actually going to the beach to spy on them, but Chiron refused to let that happen. Of course, some campers sneaked out after them anyways.

"Frank, why don't you stay in the Ares cabin? Clarisse, could you show him the way?" Chiron instructed more than asked.

"Sure, Chiron. C'mon, Frank," Clarisse said, leading Frank out of the room.

"Will, could you show Hazel the Hades cabin, please?" Chiron asked.

"Yep. Come on, Hazel." Will and Hazel headed off towards one of the newer block of cabins.

"You have to stay in cabins determined by your godly parent?" Hazel asked worriedly, thinking about how she'd be isolated from the others.

"Yeah. It's not so bad, really. Hades is now more… respectable than he was before we battled Kronos' force. That was mostly because Nico proved himself, convincing his dad to show up with an army of undead skeleton warriors at the last minute," Will explained.

"So, tomorrow, you're going to rest here before you head off to Rome. You can do almost anything you want during the day, and there's going to be another council meeting tomorrow night," he continued.

They arrived at the Hades cabin. Hazel had to admit that it looked impressive—obsidian black with a skull on the wall, and torches burning green fire.

"Dinner's at 7:30. You can do whatever you want until then," Will said as he left the cabin.

She still had about two and a half hours until dinnertime, and she was beat, so Hazel decided to get some sleep.

There were only four beds in the cabin. One of them was obviously Nico's. It was the only bed which had been used. There were pictures up there, too—mainly of him and Bianca, him and Percy, him with Percy and Annabeth. Not for the first time, Hazel felt the heartbreak of having her brother missing.

Trying to put all thoughts of her brother out of her mind, she moved on to unpacking. It didn't take long. She didn't have that many items to bring along: her _spatha_, some fresh clothes, Frank's stick, and some nectar and ambrosia.

It took Hazel a while to fall asleep, and when she did, she had one of her worst dreams yet.

Nico lay sprawled out on a dirt floor, manacles binding his hands and feet. He had dark circles under his eyes, and most of his body was covered with blood. He had a long scratch on the inside of his right arm that ran from his forearm to his wrist. Blood trickled down it in a continuous stream. His cheek was covered with dried blood.

Hazel looked around and saw… dirt. All around them. Dirt floor, ceiling, and walls. There was not a door as far as she could see.

A slight tremor shook the room, and Nico was on his feet in a flash. His eyes seemed to watch a section of the wall that seemed no different from the other walls. Soon, though, Hazel saw she was mistaken, as that part of the wall swung open to reveal two undead warriors. Hazel suspected that, because they were on Gaea's side, Nico couldn't control them. Either that, or he was too tired to.

One made a chattering sound. Somehow, Hazel understood what it was trying to say: "Walk." Unsteadily, Nico rose to his feet and walked out the door. Watching him, Hazel realized that he was limping. She desperately wanted to be on Arion again and cut the spirits down with her _spatha_. Of course, that wouldn't work in a dream, so Hazel had to settle for following her brother.

The warriors kept their spears pointed at Nico. They weren't worried about him running forward; that was the direction they _wanted _him to go. The dirt walls stayed in a straight line and forced Nico from wandering.

Finally, they arrived in a large room. The walls were made out of dirt, but, unlike in Nico's cell, there were plants growing out of the wall. A brazier to Gaea was there, and fruits dangled from the ceiling. There was a table in the middle of the room. A large figure, even bigger than Alcyoneus, sat opposite the door.

The skeleton warriors bowed low before the figure.

"We brought the prisoner, my lord," a skeleton warrior hissed.

"Tie him to the chair," the giant commanded.

The warriors did as he asked, dragging Nico from the floor and onto the chair, binding him with more chains.

"Leave now," the giant ordered, and the skeletons did as they were told.

The giant turned towards Nico and smiled, showing his many, rotten teeth. Hazel shivered. This wasn't a friendly grin; it was more like an 'I'm going to kill you' grin.

"Now, son of Hades, it is time that I formerly introduce myself," the giant said. "I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, bane of Jupiter or Zeus; whichever you prefer."

Nico said nothing, but stared at the giant.

"I am prepared to offer you a deal," Porphyrion continued. "You will tell us everything you know about the demigods' quest. You will tell us their plans. Tell us everything, and you can join us. Gaea has planned everything out carefully; we will win. You will be rewarded. If you refuse to give information… well, there are ways to solve that issue."

Still Nico said nothing, so Porphyrion kept talking.

"Let me inform you of what we already know," he said. "Perhaps that will help speed up your decision. The Greek and Roman camps are fighting. They can barely keep from killing each other. There is no chance of them winning. They plan on going to Greece. The only thing we don't know is when they are leaving. Your sister is dead."

Nico's eyes widened, and shock crossed his face briefly before hiding his emotions again. Porphyrion continued.

"Yes, she died trying to stop the Greeks and Romans from fighting. She was killed in a battle that occurred between the camps."

Porphyrion continued talking in a sympathetic voice.

"Do you remember what it was like back at those camps? You were never respected because your father was the Lord of Dead. If you join us, it doesn't have to be like that. You will be welcome, Nico. Join us, and all you wish will come true."

Nico hesitated, and then made up his mind.

"Go to Tartarus, Porphyrion," Nico said, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't used it for several weeks.

Porphyrion sighed. "At least here will be the place to die, where so many others lied down their lives for the emperor. Your blood shall taint the sand. Well, then, if you're sure…" He gestured towards the doors and the skeleton warriors came back in.

"I hope you enjoy our hospitality. It seems you'll be with us for quite a while," Porphyrion chuckled as the warriors unlocked Nico from the chair and started dragging him out of the door, bruising him up even more in the process.

Porphyrion waited for a moment after Nico had left, and then he turned and faced Hazel directly.

"Do you see, daughter of Pluto? There is no hope. Give up on him."

"Never," Hazel said, her heart beating faster and faster.

Porphyrion grinned. "That is a shame indeed." He drew his spear and thrust it directly at Hazel's heart, ripping Hazel from her dream.

Hazel woke up, sure she was an inch from dying. She was breathing heavily, and she felt as if she might throw up any minute.

Just then, Frank entered the cabin. "Hazel, it's time for din—Hazel, are you okay? Hazel? Hazel?"

"Frank… go get… Percy," Hazel panted.

Frank nodded and sprinted out of the cabin just as Hazel leaned over the side of her bed and threw up.

Less than a minute later, Annabeth, Percy, and Frank all rushed back into the cabin.

"Hazel, what's wrong?" Percy asked. "Do you want some nectar or something…"

"No. I—It's Nico. I know where he's being held!"


	13. Leo

**I know that I haven't updated for a long, long time, so this is an extra long chapter. Also, because the real MOA already came out, I think I'm going to go move more quickly through this fanfic. I'm going to try to write it how I envisioned it before the real book came out, but I'm still going to go a little more quickly through this one. **

13. Leo

Life sucked when divine immortals messed with your life for fun.

After they had arrived at Camp Half-Blood the night before, Leo had checked up on the _Argo II_, eaten dinner, and tried to work his charm on some Apollo girls (needless to say, that didn't quite work out as well as he had planned). Strangely enough, neither that Hazel girl, Annabeth, or Percy had been at dinner, and Chiron had come in late.

Leo's thoughts turned toward Hazel. Normally he would give up on getting her as a girlfriend, because she seemed to already be dating the other Roman kid- Frank. Yet something... attracted him to her. It ran in his blood; something that called out for him to love her. Scarily enough, the thought didn't even seem to be his; it seemed to come from his past. What was wrong with him?

Groaning, Leo put his head in his hands. Why, oh why were all the hottest girls unavailable?

Shaking his head, he decided to crash for the night and headed towards his cabin. He figured he should at least have a good night's sleep before he went to his doom tomorrow, right? Wrong. Because a demigod's life was never that easy.

In his dream, Leo was facing a huge, grassy hill in the middle of nowhere. As he watched, the huge hill shifted until its features became like those of a lady's; a woman Leo knew quite well.

"Gaea," he grumbled. "What do you want?"

Gaea smiled sleepily. "Why, to answer your questions, of course," she replied. "You were wondering about Hazel, were you not?"

Just her name made Leo's heart beat faster for some reason.

"Hazel knew your grandfather, Sammy. After she disappeared, Sammy vowed to not rest until he found out where his lost love had gone. So the part of him that is in _you_, Leo Valdez, senses Hazel and calls out to be reunited with her," Gaea explained.

Leo thought this seemed too much like a movie to be real. The grandfather's spirit looking for his lost love. So cliché.

"Why are you even telling me this anyways?" Leo asked.

Gaea chuckled. "You will turn against each other before you even make it to Rome. There cannot be two leaders. There cannot be two boys fighting over one girl. Mark my words, this quest will be doomed before you even reach Rome."

Gaea chuckled and her features sunk back into the hill. "Good-bye, Leo Valdez," she said, her voice getting fainter and fainter. "Have fun dying."

Leo woke up with a start back in cabin 9. Breathing heavily, he looked around to make sure there were no crazy earth goddesses spying on him before going back to sleep. Thankfully, he had no more dreams the rest of the night.

Leo woke in the morning to see two almost identical faces staring at him from less than a foot away.

"AGGH!" he screamed, rolling sideways and landing on the floor. Groaning, he looked up at Connor and Travis Stoll, who were rolling around on the floor, laughing their heads off.

"Not cool, guys. Not cool at all," Leo groaned, getting up.

The Stoll brothers tried (and failed) to control their laughter while Leo stood up.

"Now, don't take any offense at this, but why are you here?" Leo asked.

The Stolls managed to stop laughing. "Chiron said to come get you. There's a counselor meeting at the Big House. It has something to do with the Great Prophecy."

"When?" Leo asked.

"Now."

Leo groaned. "I'll be there in five minutes."

Connor grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "You'd better-"

"Or we'll be back," finished Travis.

Grinning identical smiles, the brothers hopped out through the window.

"You know the door's right there, right?" Leo called after them, even though they probably couldn't hear him.

Leo turned around to face the rest of his cabin, who had no doubt been woken up by the noise the Stolls and Leo had made.

"What?" he asked, going to his trunk to get his clothes for the day.

Leo walked in the Big House to find almost everyone there already.

Katie Gardner from the Demeter cabin was chasing Lou Ellen, who had detached her finger. Connor and Travis were playing a prank on the sleeping Clovis. Clarisse was leaning her chair back on two legs and, with her legs on the table, tossed Seymour the leopard Snausage. Pollux from Dionysus and Butch from Iris were play-sword fighting with each other while Will Solace from the Apollo cabin was trying to stop them, saying that he wouldn't heal them when one of them inevitably got hurt. Jason was talking quietly with Piper in the corner.

Leo looked around for Nico before remembering why he wasn't there. It was kind of hard to attend a counselor meeting when you were being held prisoner by Gaea's forces.

Thalia wasn't there either. Leo frowned. She had promised to come visit camp about eight months ago, but they hadn't had any word from her. He figured she could take care of herself, though. She was tough.

The only other ones missing were Chiron, Rachel, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Hazel. Just as he thought that, they came through the door, accompanied by Blackjack. His heart did a little flip-flop at seeing Hazel. He frowned. _Bad heart. No. Hazel is taken. _Leo thought about his meeting with Gaea, then studied Hazel again. Was it true that his grandfather loved her? He would have to ask Hazel about that after the meeting.

"Connor and Travis, please stop playing pranks on Clovis when he's asleep and wake him up. Lou Ellen, please give Katie her finger back and stop stealing peoples' body parts. Pollux and Butch, please stop sword fighting. Everyone, sit down, please.

Everyone took a seat around the ping-pong table (well, Clovis woke up, sat down in a chair, and then went back to sleep with his head on the table).

Chiron officially called the meeting to order.

"The Great Prophecy is upon us. The seven of the prophecy have been chosen. Hera has switched Jason and Percy to make sure the camps cooperate with each other. In four days' time, the Roman camp- Camp Jupiter- will arrive here. They will rest here, then we will travel to Greece to protect Mount Olympus while the seven of the prophecy go to Rome to defeat a giant and find Nico diAngelo. The seven will then travel to Greece, too, hopefully closing the Doors of Death along the way. We are going to finalize all plans now, so that when the seven get to Rome, they can at least be _somewhat_ prepared without having to improvise a lot." Chiron directed this last part at Percy.

Percy laughed. "Chiron, it's _me_ we're talking about. Does anything ever go according to plan?" He drew a good-sized laugh from the majority of the people in the room. The only person who didn't laugh, Leo noticed, was Jason. He was staring at Percy with a strange look on his face that Leo couldn't place. Jealousy? Was that it?

Leo's thoughts were directed away from Jason when Chiron continued.

"Needless to say, it will be helpful to at least be prepared. The seven of you- Jason, Hazel, Piper, Leo, Frank, Percy, and Annabeth will all go to Rome. You will use the _Argo II_ as your transportation."

"It looks like everything's already decided, Chiron," Connor- or was it Travis?- called out. "So why are we here, exactly?"

"We should try to unravel at least parts of the prophecy before the seven go to Rome," Chiron explained.

Frank cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. "Um... the last time we tried to unravel a prophecy, that didn't go too well," he began, then paused, seemingly unsure of how to continue.

"From past experience, we know that the prophecy's full meaning can't be understood until its due time, but we can prepare for the dangers that lie before us by studying it," Annabeth said.

"Oh."

"'_The prince of death shall be made free/By children of the Big Three.'"_ Piper recited.

"The prince of death... Thanatos," Hazel guessed.

"Children of the Big Three? The big three are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. So that would be Percy and Hazel," Katie said.

"We don't like to pick the three main gods, but if we did, they would probably be Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva- Zeus, Hera, and Athena," Frank said. "Some people would say Mars, too-Ares."

"Maybe a combination? Like, two of them are the Greek's big three- Hades and Poseidon- and the other one is Roman- Mars," Annabeth suggested.

"Maybe, but I'm not a daughter of Hades; I'm a daughter of Pluto," Hazel pointed out.

"Let's continue," Chiron suggested.

_"'The final battle shall be at the roots/You shall be aided by the new recruits.'"_

"The final battle," Piper muttered. "That doesn't sound too good."

"Ooh! I know this!" Leo shouted. "At the roots- that's Greece, right?"

"How'd you know?" Clarisse asked sarcastically. "I know it can't be because we built the _Argo II_ for transportation _to Greece_."

Leo pouted while everyone chuckled. He didn't mind being laughed at, really, if it cheered everybody else up.

"New recruits... plenty of 'new recruits' helped build the _Argo_," Jason said.

_"'Wisdom's daughter walks alone/The mark of Athena burns through Rome.'" _Lou Ellen stated.

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," Pollux said. Everyone turned to face Annabeth.

"Keep your girlfriend close, eh, Percy?" Butch said, not really joking.

"I will." Percy was completely serious.

"The mark of Athena?" Connor asked. Everyone looked at Annabeth again. She looked grim.

"Last night, my-"

Annabeth was interrupted by the door opening, revealing a sight Leo hadn't seen in eight months.

"Thalia!" Jason and Percy cried simultaneously. Jason glared at Percy while Percy just smiled at Thalia.

"PERSEUS JACKSON, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR EIGHT MONTHS? DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA JUST HOW WORRIED EVERYONE WAS ABOUT YOU?" Thalia yelled upon seeing Percy.

"You know you're glad to see me, Thals," Percy asked, causing a few chuckles from the counselors. He held his arms out. "How about a hug?"

Thalia walked over to Percy and punched him straight in the stomach.

Percy doubled over and apparently decided to make this reunion a dramatic scene. He fell to the floor clutching his stomach.

"Aah... dying... I survived all this... to be killed by one of my best friends..." his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Annabeth... save the world from Gaea... it's my dying wish..." he gave a final cough then collapsed back onto the floor. Only to yelp and leap up as one of Thalia's combat boots kicked him in the side.

By now everyone was in hysterics. Leo was laughing so hard tears were coming from his eyes. Chiron was chuckling, and even Annabeth was laughing. Leo hadn't seen Annabeth laugh since the time he arrived at Camp Half-Blood. She would smile sometimes, but would never laugh save for a few chuckles. With Percy gone, she was not whole. Now that he was back, she was complete again.

Percy pouted again. "Seriously, Annabeth at least hugged me and _then_ punched me."

"Fine," Thalia compromised. She hugged him, then punched him again- in the arm this time, and not as hard.

"Seriously, what is it with everyone punching me?" Percy wondered aloud. "Are you trying to make up for time that you couldn't do it when I had the curse of Achilles?"

Clarisse shrugged. "Actually, I was just doing it because you're annoying, Prissy, but we'll go with that reason."

"No more punching Percy!" Percy yelled.

There wasn't a single person in that room who wasn't laughing by that time. Even Thalia chuckled and gave him another hug.

It was Chiron who brought everyone's minds back to the present.

"I'm glad to see you, Thalia, but right now, we must get back to planning how to fulfill the prophecy and defeat Gaea."

"Aren't we Mister Optimistic?" Pollux grumbled.

Thalia's face turned grim. "Actually, I've got some news about that."

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia looked around the room and sighed. "The giants have gotten harder to kill. The hunters ran into one of them—Hippolytus, bane of Hermes. We knew that the giants could only be killed by a mortal and immortal working together. The hunters are mostly immortal, but they border on the side of mortality as well. So, one of the hunters drove a knife into him, and Lady Artemis managed to help us long enough to shoot one of her own arrows at him: but he just got up. If we kill him and a god helps us, then they act like it's two immortals, so they don't die. If we kill them and another mortal helps us, they act like it's two mortals, so they don't die. The hunters can't kill the giants."

"So we need someone who is either most definitely a mortal or most definitely immortal," Connor clarified.

"Hang on," Annabeth said. "If you said the hunters couldn't destroy it, then where is it now?"

Just then, horns started blowing and the counselors could hear the clash of metal and the roar of Peleus the dragon.

Thalia reached for her spear. "It's outside the borders of the camp now."


	14. Jason 3

14. Jason

'_Seriously,' _Jason thought as he ran towards the borders. _'Is it too much to ask to board a boat without having to worry about things like the end of the world and evil duck-loving giants?'_

After Thalia's startling announcement about the giant being on the borders of the camp, everyone in the conference room immediately grabbed a weapon (or a tin can, in Grover's sake) and started to rush simultaneously out the door to help. Above the noise, Chiron called for all the members of the quest to stay in the council room.

When the other demigods had cleared out of the room, the seven members looked to Chiron, wondering why he hadn't let them go out to help defeat the giant.

Chiron cleared his throat. "I think that it is best for you not to take part in this battle. Go now, before it is too late. Board the _Argo II_ and head straightaway for Rome."

Immediately there were protests. 'We can't just leave them to fight by themselves!', 'No way! I'm fighting!', and 'Are you kidding? I've been away for eight months and now, when my home is in danger, I can't even stay to protect it?'

Chiron held up his hand and the demigods quickly quieted down. Annabeth spoke up. "I know it's hard, but it's the wisest course of action. Go now, while the giant's distracted. He won't notice us leave. Besides, we have to go quickly. We've dawdled long enough already."

Reluctantly, the other members nodded. Chiron nodded. "Very well then. I must go fight Mimas." He surveyed them all with a grim look on his face. "I wish you all the very best luck in your upcoming battle." With those comforting words, he cantered out of the Big House to attack Mimas.

One by one, the seven quest members got up and filed out of the Big House. Ignoring all the battle cries and the sound of clashing metal, they ran for the hill just inside the borders, where their boat was landed. Everyone quickly climbed aboard. Glancing back over his shoulder, Jason noticed a dark figure following Percy.

"Percy!" he called, trying to warn him. Percy glanced over his shoulder at the figure.

"Blackjack! What are you doing?" The Pegasus made some whinnying noises that Jason couldn't understand, but Percy nodded. "Okay! Blackjack's coming with us!"

There was no time to argue. With the last person—and horse—on board, Leo started rushing about like crazy, cutting lines and reeling in things. He shook the Numchuck controllers, and the sails billowed out. While Leo was dashing around, the rest of the campers just stood around watching, not sure about what to do—all except Annabeth, who was helping him.

Finally, Annabeth and Leo started to get the ship to lift off the ground. They started to fly, but that only gave them a better view of what was happening with their friends on the ground.

At the base of the hill, Mimas stood 12 feet tall, wielding a giant flaming hammer. The giant's entire body was set aflame, which was so bright and intense that no camper could stand within ten yards of him. Arrows were sent his way, but they all were incinerated in the giant's fire.

However, almost more terrifying than the giant himself was what he was wearing. It was almost as if he had gone to Target and gotten himself an extra-times-1000 large flannel shirt and pants. Both were a yellow the color of the sun, almost too bright to look at. Printed on them were hundreds upon hundreds of ducks: green ones, pink, blue, every color imaginable. Some ducks were smiling, not friendly, but evil _we're going to kill you _smiles. Others were simply glaring out from the fabric. Jason, who had previously thought ducks to be quite funny, suddenly felt his liking for them drop dramatically.

With some difficulty, Jason tore his eyes from the—well, _interesting_ sight. Leo was also doing his best to ignore the giant and dashed around the controls frantically. He pushed a lever up, and suddenly the whole ship was thrust forward, leaving the hopeless battle behind them. Everyone desperately lunged for the nearest handhold and tried to keep their footing. Leo cackled maniacally.

"Oops! I forgot to tell you guys: hold on!"

Jason rolled his eyes at his friend and, slowly regaining his footing, took a careful step away from the rail he had grabbed.

Piper made her way up to Leo. "What are you doing? Why are we going so fast?"

Leo smiled his signature crazy grin. "The increased speed is necessary if we're to get there soon. Next stop: Rome! We arrive in four hours."


	15. Piper 2

15. Piper

It's amazing how slowly four hours can pass when you're attacked by monsters every fifteen minutes.

"Piper, behind you!" Annabeth yelled from where she was fighting three _dracanae. _

Piper spun around in time to see a giant hellhound in mid-leap, aiming for her head. She raised Katoptris as she sidestepped, disintegrating the monster. Panting, she took a split second to see how everyone else was doing.

Annabeth had killed one of the _dracanae,_ but that still left two more circling around her. Leo was still standing at the wheel, one hand steering, the other blazing with fire in case a monster got too close. Jason was standing next to Leo, fighting off monsters that got too close to the captain of the _Argo_. Frank had turned into a weasel and was chasing some basilisks off the side of the ship. Hazel was cutting down _karpoi_, or grain spirits, left and right, enraging them by insulting their cereal.

Despite the fact that they were in the air, a large wave crashed into a _ventus _that had gotten too close to Piper. She sent an appreciative nod in Percy's way, but he was too busy resuming his fight to notice. The son of Poseidon was fighting wild centaurs, like the ones he had told Piper about in Polybotes' army. Piper didn't even know how they got on the ship when they were 30,000 feet high, but she knew that Percy felt bad about fighting them because of Chiron. However, she didn't exactly think that Percy could nicely ask them to go away because he felt bad about killing them.

Piper quickly resumed her fight with a sphinx—a baby from its size. Dodging the razor-sharp claws, she tried to charmspeak it. "You are very sleepy. Yes, what a good kitty. Go to sleep now, and dream about milk and… um… other fluffy cat… things."

The sphinx blinked sleepily a few times, as if trying to make itself stay awake, but Piper's charmspeak was too powerful. The sphinx slowly laid down and put its head on its paws, making soft snoring noises.

Sighing in relief, Piper turned around just in time to see a telekhine swing a sharp sword at her head. Ducking, she unconsciously scrambled backwards. However, she forgot about the monster snoring behind her, and tripped over the sleeping sphinx. While the sphinx didn't wake up, Piper landed hard and her dagger went sprawling out of her hand. The telekhine grinned and aimed its sword for her heart. Desperately, Piper tried to charmspeak it.

"Stop," she said, but she was already tired and the charmspeak didn't work fully. The telekhine paused for a split second, as if trying to overcome her influence. However, that one second saved Piper's life. A sword poked out through the monster's chest, driven straight through his back. Blinking, the telekhine peered stupidly at the sword for a minute, as if vaguely realizing that he was dying. Then his essence went back to Tartarus, and he disintegrated, leaving an angry-looking Hazel in his place.

Hazel offered a hand up to Piper, which she gladly accepted. Together, the two girls fought side-by-side, once Piper regained Katoptris.

Within a few minutes, all the monsters had either fled or disintegrated. There were a few cuts and scrapes here and there, but no one was severely injured. Everyone crowded around Leo, who was still manning the wheel. No one had gone under deck for the past few hours because they were all worried about monster attacks.

"Guys, this is the, what, fourth monster attack we've had so far?" Jason said.

"Fifth," Percy corrected.

"My point is, Gaea's already wearing us out, and we haven't even gotten to Rome yet. Leo, didn't you put any anti-monster sprays or something on this ship?"

"Nope, sorry, Wal-Mart was out," Leo said sarcastically.

Annabeth spoke up. "Jason's right. She's wearing us out even before we get to Rome, and after Rome, we still have to go to Greece. Leo, can't you speed it up to avoid monsters or something?"

"We can't take much more of this," Frank agreed. "We're all tired already. Who knows how many more monster attacks we have before we get to Rome?"

"I do," Leo said cheekily. "And the answer is none."

Everyone sent weird glances his way. "Leo, how do you know that? Did Gaea say to you, 'Oh, I know you're all tired, so I guess I'll just stop sending my minions at you'?" Percy asked.

"Nope," Leo replied. "I know because I can see that." He pointed at a building with a massive dome and sixteen large columns.

"The Pantheon," Annabeth whispered.

"The what?" Percy asked, confused.

Leo nodded. "The Pantheon," he said. "It was originally built as a temple to all the gods." He paused. "Welcome to Rome."


	16. Frank 2

16. Frank

As amazing as Annabeth was, Frank really could have done without the constant architecture facts.

"The Pantheon was built more than 1800 years ago. While the columns are amazing, the most important aspect is the dome. The dome and the diameter of the Pantheon is the same: 43.3 meters."

Annabeth no doubt would have gone on, probably talking about the different building materials they used, but (thankfully) Percy put a hand over her mouth. Annabeth just glared at him. Percy cringed, then chuckled. Annabeth reluctantly let out a small grin too.

Of course, Leo had to bound ahead. "Come on! What are you waiting for? Let's go check it out!"

Although Annabeth probably agreed with him, they had more important matters to deal with—like the upcoming rise of Gaea and all.

"Um, don't you think we should, you know, find out where Nico is, and then head on to Greece?" Frank spoke up.

While Annabeth glared at him, Jason seemed to take his side. "Yeah, Annabeth, why don't we come back after the war and all, you know, when Gaea's put back to sleep?"

"You know, if we're still alive," Leo spoke up. Sometimes his ADHD got the best of him.

After facing glares from the rest of the group (some more scary than others), Leo raised his hands in a '_don't hurt me'_ gesture.

Hazel sighed. "We should probably go, I don't know, get some food or something, and plan our next move."

Her idea was met with positive reactions, so they headed down to a café near the Pantheon. Everyone ordered and made small talk, avoiding the more touchy subjects. It was only after they had all gotten their food that Piper spoke up.

"So, we need to find out where Nico is, get him back, and get out of here as soon as possible. Anyone have any leads?"

"And don't forget the prophecy," Jason chimed in. "We still haven't deciphered that."

"One thing at a time," Percy said. "Let's start with the prophecy."

"_The prince of death shall be made free/By children of the Big Three."_ Hazel said.

"So we said that the prince of death was Thanatos, and the children of the Big Three were Percy, Hazel, and Frank, right?" Leo said.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, except for Annabeth, who was looking off into the distance with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Annabeth?" Percy said, who had apparently noticed his girlfriend's silence, too.

"I was just thinking… why would we get this prophecy now? I mean, if this was a line in the prophecy, why wouldn't you have gotten it when you went on the quest to free Thanatos?"

Leo opened his mouth, probably to explain why, but then he closed it again. "That's actually a really good point."

"So you think that that part of the prophecy hasn't happened yet?" Piper asked.

Annabeth shook her head.

"What does it mean, then?" Hazel asked.

"Let's think… who else can pass for the prince of death?" Jason questioned.

Everyone just sort of stared at each other. Finally, Hazel tentatively raised her hand. "I have a theory… well, let's say that Pluto/Hades is the king of death… that would make his son the prince, right?"

"Nico!" Percy exclaimed.

"And if it says he 'shall be made free', that means we're going to rescue him from Gaea, right?" Hazel asked.

Jason nodded. "Hazel, you might be right, but that may not be the right meaning."

At Hazel's glare, he quickly added, "It could be; I'm not saying that it isn't. But you also have to be prepared if, you know, that isn't…" he trailed off. It didn't matter. Everyone knew what he was trying to say: 'If we don't end up saving Nico.'

"Let's move on, shall we?" Frank quickly suggested. "_The final battle shall be at the roots/You shall be aided by the new recruits."_

"The final battle…" Percy mused. "That doesn't sound good at all."

"The roots of what? A tree?" Leo said.

"The roots: where the Greek gods and goddesses originated. Greece," Annabeth explained.

"'You shall be aided by new recruits,'" Frank said.

"The _Argo II_," Piper said, at the exact same time Leo exclaimed, 'My baby!'

Everyone stared at Leo until his ears tinged pink. "Let's move on, okay?" Leo quickly suggested.

"_Wisdom's daughter walks alone/The mark of Athena burns through Rome."_

At these words, everyone at the table turned to face Annabeth. She wouldn't meet anyone's gaze, instead staring at her glass of water, as if it held the answer to a deeply intriguing question. She took a deep breath and, still without looking at anyone, started to explain.

"The night before we left for Camp Jupiter, my mother came to me in a dream. I… I can't tell you the exact details of the dream, but I think there was something she wanted me to find out while I was here in Rome."

"What was it?" Jason questioned.

"A secret—a secret that may save or destroy us." Annabeth looked at the circle of shocked faces. "She gave me this." Annabeth took out a small owl figurine.

"What is it?" Leo asked, craning his head to get a better look at the little statue.

"A gift from my mom. I think it's supposed to help lead me to this secret—or weapon, whatever it is. I'm not sure."

"I'll go with you," Percy immediately volunteered. Annabeth shook her head.

"No, Percy. Remember the prophecy? 'Wisdom's daughter walks alone.' I have to do this by myself." At this point, Percy had small tears forming in his eyes.

"I just found you again—after eight months, I found you. I don't want to give you up again."

Piper had her _aw-that's-so-cute_ face on, and even Hazel, who was usually embarrassed by small public displays of affection, was looking strangely emotional.

Annabeth squeezed Percy's hand tightly. "Trust me, I don't want to let you go either, Seaweed Brain. After all, without me to watch your back, you would probably die pretty quickly."

Despite the tense atmosphere, Percy had to smile. "I _know_ I would die without you, Wise Girl."

Of course, just then, Leo had to butt in. "Okay, I don't know whether to _aw_ or barf. So could you stop giving me all these mixed emotions and change the subject, please?"

One thing Frank had to say for Leo was that he really knew how to lighten the atmosphere. Everyone cracked small smiles or let out a little laugh.

"So, let's talk about where Nico is," Jason suggested. "Anyone have any ideas?" It was silent. Then Hazel spoke up.

"I had a dream—"

"—that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed—"

Piper smacked Leo on the head. "Will you stop quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. on us?"

Leo rubbed his head, pouting. "Continue, Hazel," Piper said.

Hazel cleared her throat. "Well, a couple of days ago, I had a dream about Nico." Hazel explained her dream about her brother. When she finished, she continued with her theory. "So I think that Nico's in the Coliseum."

"The emperor… blood tainting sand… that sounds like the Coliseum," Frank agreed.

Once again, Annabeth looked like she was thinking hard. "He looked at you? He knew you were there?"

Hazel nodded. "Yeah, he spoke to me after he sent Nico out of the room."

Annabeth shook her head. "This isn't good."

"Yeah, I mean, evil giants know what you're dreaming? That sounds just pleasant," Leo said sarcastically.

"No, I mean, he probably said the things about 'blood tainting sand' _after _he realized Piper was there." She looked around at everyone's faces again. "He knew he was giving you clues to where Nico is."

"So that means…" Piper trailed off.

Percy spoke what was on everyone's mind. "That means that it's a trap."


	17. Hazel 2

17. Hazel

It didn't matter how much Leo looked like Sammy, Hazel swore she was going to punch him.

"Wait, so is he there or isn't he?" Leo asked.

"He is, just expect guards and stuff," Percy replied.

"Weren't we expecting guards to begin with?"

"Well… yeah, but now we know that they know we're coming."

"Didn't they expect us to come from the beginning?"

"Yeah, but… just go with it, Leo. It's a trap."

"Actually, Leo makes a good point," Jason chimed in.

"He does?" Percy asked.

"I do?" Leo asked, looking just as confused.

Jason nodded. "How do we know that Nico's actually there? Like you said, it's a trap. This could just be a clever ruse to lure us in, and Nico's not even there."

"So what do you propose we do?" Leo asked. "Just not go in there?"

Hazel cut in, her golden eyes blazing. "Not an option." She looked at the others. "As long as there's even the slightest chance that Nico's in there, we're going."

Frank put his hands up, trying to calm her. "Yeah, don't worry, we'll definitely check it out, Hazel."

"Still, there is the possibility of Nico not being there," Jason chimed in. "I know," He added at Hazel's glare. "But you still have to think about that being a possibility. There are so many places in Rome, and even if your dream was accurate, you had it a long time ago. It's possible that they moved him."

"I have an idea," Annabeth stepped in, trying to keep Hazel from killing Jason. "We split up. Jason, Leo, Piper, check out the Pantheon. Look for clues, secret passageways, anything. Hazel, Frank, and Percy will check the Colosseum. I'll keep searching for the thing my mother wanted me to find—the mark of Athena will help lead me to it. Everyone good?" Everyone nodded.

"Shouldn't we, like, get more information on the Colosseum before we go into it? I mean, I'm all for rescuing Nico, but should we really go storming in there blindly?" Frank asked.

"Frank, no!" Percy tried to warn him, but it was too late. Annabeth was on a roll.

"Construction on the Colosseum began in 72 AD, but it didn't actually open until 80 AD. It's 48 meters high, 188 meters long, and 156 meters wide. The arena's covered with 15 centimeters of sand. The Colosseum can hold more than 50,000 people, and there are about 80 exits at ground level. There's actually an area beneath the Colosseum—this is where I think Nico might be—it's called the Hypogeum. It was where animals used to be held, because they sometimes used live animals in their fights. The winner exited through the Porta Sanavivaria, or the gate of life. The loser's body was dragged through the Porta Libitinensis, or the gate of death. It's location is 41 degrees latitude—"

"I think that's enough information, thanks," Percy interrupted, shooting a '_you-should-have-kept-your-mouth-shut' _look to Frank.

"Let's go, then. No need to stand around all day," Hazel said, anxious to be off.

The group said quick good-byes and split up.

"So, now that Annabeth's not here, do we have a plan that doesn't involve random architectural facts?" Frank asked.

"Get Nico. Kill everyone in our paths. Don't die," Hazel said.

Percy grinned. "Straightforward, easy to remember, and with lots of room for improvisation. Seems like my kind of plan."

For a secret hideout where a kidnapped demigod might be, the Colosseum was crowded. It was easier to get in than they expected. Steady lines of tourists were filing in and out of various exits.

Percy gave a low whistle when he saw how crowded it was. "Now I get why they have eighty exits."

Frank gave him an incredulous look. "You actually listen to Annabeth?"

Percy blushed and looked away. "I'm her boyfriend. It's in the job description."

Hazel, not waiting around for them to finish their chat, grabbed Frank and pulled him into line, leaving Percy to follow as best as he could.

When they finally got to the front, Hazel immediately went up to a tour guide. "Excuse me, could you tell us where we would enter the Hypogeum?"

The tour guide turned and smiled. "Indeed; why don't I take you there?"

"That would be great, thanks," Hazel said, following the guide, the boys rushing to catch up.

The woman led them to a set of steps. "Thanks again," Hazel said, starting down the stairs.

The tour guide laughed; a loud noise that sent shivers up Hazel's spine. "Oh, don't thank me, my girl. You'll find what you're looking for, I promissssse."

Hazel whipped around just in time to see the dracanae slide a boulder- where'd she get that?- over the steps, sealing them in darkness.

Percy uncapped Riptide, which gave off its faint glow. "Well, now we definitely know that it's a trap. Which way?"

"If I get close enough, I can sense my brother," Hazel said.

"So, we just wander around randomly? There are, like, a thousand tunnels down here! Which way do we go?" Frank asked.

Hazel shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Actually, I have a known past of choosing the wrong decisions and having rotten luck. Frank, why don't you choose?" Percy said.

"Umm... the center one?"

"Sounds good to me."

The three set off, Percy in front with Riptide. They didn't have to wait long before hearing footsteps rushing towards them.

"Quick, which way?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Left!"

Percy rushed down the left tunnel, trying to move quickly but without making a lot of noise. He came to a door and, without a second thought, wrenched it open and flung himself inside. Hazel and Frank tumbled in after him, and the three of them quickly closed the door, bracing their backs against it. It was only then, panting and out of breath, that they finally got a look at their surroundings.

Hazel cursed herself for not looking around before. At Camp Jupiter, she had always been taught to look around for an enemy before doing anything else. She wished she had remembered those lessons. Because she, Frank, and Percy were surrounded; on the other side of the door were monsters ready to tear her apart, and on this side, there were thirty spears, swords, and various other weapons pointed at them.

Hazel looked past the immediate danger to see an even more terrifying threat looming at the back of the room. A giant with blood-red eyes, a spear at least as long as two of her, and a maniac smile grinned triumphantly at the three of them.

And lying at his feet, arms and legs in chains, lay Nico diAngelo.


	18. Percy 4

Percy

Percy really didn't understand why bad guys always explained their plans. Honestly, by explaining their evil plots, it gave the good guys the chance to figure out how to stop the plans. On television, the bad guy traps a good guy, explains the plot, the good guy escapes, somehow finds a way to foil the enemy's plan, and there's a happy ending. However, this was Percy's life, so of course things didn't go that smoothly.

It started out with the typical good guy/bad guy scenario: Frank, Hazel, and Percy were trapped, and the giant was gloating.

"So, this is the best that the gods have to send? Three puny, weak demigods? Of course, perhaps you are braver than you look. I've heard about you, Perseus Jackson. How many of my brothers have you destroyed? How did you and your little group of friends stop the mighty lord Kronos from taking over? And look at you now: so weak. So pathetic. How my mistress will reward me when she learns that I have captured the mighty Perseus Jackson!"

"Trust me, I'm honored that you think so highly of me," Percy said, "but we kind of have different plans. I'll make you a deal: let us go, and Nico, and I won't have to send you to Tartarus."

Percy knew that he had to work on his threats, but he was pretty sure it wasn't _that_ funny. All the monsters, plus the giant, laughed- or, in some monsters' cases, made hissing noises that Percy thought was them laughing.

"You are certainly a funny one, young demigod," the giant roared. "How about I offer you a counter-proposal: surrender now, and I'll take you to Gaea before killing you. You can refuse, of course, and fight, but do you really think that you can kill me before I kill this little friend of yours?" He nudged- well, it was more like a kick- Nico, who still hadn't regained consciousness.

At the current time, Percy knew that the giant could kill Nico before they could get past the first wave of monsters. So that meant he had to stall and find out how to defeat the giant.

"If you're so mighty and all, why don't I know who you are?"

The giant frowned. "I am Pelorus, bane of Mars! And my name shall become the most famous of all the giants when I have destroyed you, Perseus Jackson!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm awesome, but the whole 'Once I have destroyed you, I will become all-powerful' thing was getting annoying," Percy thought.

"I beat Ares when I was twelve," Percy bragged, trying to think of an extremely clever plan that would hopefully get all of his friends out of there alive. "So I guess that if you're this old, and you still haven't beaten him, it says that you're not a very good fighter, huh?"

As Percy knew, this got Pelorus really angry. "I will prove my fighting skills, starting by defeating you!"

"One on one, then," Percy said, grasping at straws. "Or do you have to hope your friends can wear me down before I beat you?"

As Percy expected, Pelorus had a pride that rivaled Ares'. He twisted his spear expertly, glaring at Percy with hate-filled eyes.

"I'll tell you what: if I beat you, you have to let my friends and me go. If you win, you get all of us to give to Gaea," Percy bargained.

Frank let out a little squeak of fear. Percy wanted to say, "Thanks for your confidence in me, Frank," but he figured now wasn't the time.

Instead, Pelorus laughed again. "I will win either way. Face it, little hero, there is no hope for you. Now: ATTACK!"

As one, the monsters ran forward. Automatically, Percy fell back into his old routine: slash, duck, stab, kill. For the next few moments, he forgot about the quest, forgot about Frank and Hazel and Nico, forgot about Pelorus, and became a machine of death. Some time later- was it ten minutes or ten seconds?- Percy broke free of his enemies and ran up to engage Pelorus himself in a fight.

The giant was waiting for him, almost casually swinging his spear. Percy ran forward and almost died when Pelorus stabbed at him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he managed to roll underneath Pelorus' legs and come up standing. The giant swung around to face him, nearly stepping on Nico, still unconscious. Percy knew that he had to move the fight away from the son of death, so when Pelorus stabbed with the spear again, he leapt out of the way and backed up, goading Pelorus towards him.

When Pelorus was almost within striking distance again, Percy quickly ran, ducked, and then leapt onto the giant's knee, driving the celestial bronze blade hilt-deep into his stomach. He was too close for Pelorus to use his spear, so the giant instead opted for the more practical move: slapping the demigod open-handed, causing him to fly back into the wall.

Pelorus grasped at the hilt of Riptide, which was still buried in his stomach, and threw it behind him, where it almost skewered Nico. Pelorus grinned again.

"I'm just toying with you, half-blood. I can kill you, but you cannot kill me; you don't exactly have a god in your pocket now, do you?"

Oh, right. Percy had almost forgotten that they needed a god to kill Pelorus. It was a bit too late for that now, though. He'd have to just try to survive long enough to get Nico, Hazel, and Frank out of there.

Riptide always came back to him, but it hadn't returned yet. Percy figured that he really ought to ask Chiron if he could find a way to make it take less time for his pen to return to him.

Percy's thoughts were abruptly pulled away from Chiron when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the spear sailing at him. He tried to duck, but apparently Pelorus, like Mars, knew what Percy was going to do before he did it. The spear sailed downward towards his chest, and Percy barely managed to roll out of the way. However, while it didn't skewer him into a Percy-ka-bob, it did scrape his arm and pin him by the sleeve to the floor.

Percy tried to free his arm, but the spear kept him pinned. He half hoped that Pelorus didn't have any other weapons, but he knew that wasn't the case. Sure enough, Pelorus pulled out a sword, just as large as the spear.

"I spoke the truth, Perseus Jackson: Gaea wishes to speak to you before her victory. I may not be allowed to kill you, but I can kill your friends."

Percy spared a glance over to Frank and Hazel. Frank had turned into a bear, but despite his wicked teeth and claws, the enemy just outnumbered him. Hazel was fighting with her back against the wall, about to be overwhelmed.

Desperate, Percy yanked his arm, trying to free his sleeve from the spear. It ripped a little, but he was still trapped.

He looked up at Pelorus. The giant held his sword at an angle where Percy knew that the hilt would hit him on the head, knocking him unconscious. If that happened, Percy knew that it would be all over. Frank and Hazel couldn't hold their own for much longer. They would die, and Percy would become a prisoner of Gaea's.

Pelorus swung his sword, but before it could make contact, he let out an earsplitting roar. Percy was confused until he saw the bronze blade protruding from the giant's knee. Percy yanked his arm free of the spear and, moving around the giant, saw none other than Nico diAngelo wielding the blade.

The son of Hades, though normally pale, looked worse than death itself. Now that he had a closer look, Percy could see that Nico had broken bones, a sprained ankle, and probably a concussion, too. Despite this, however, Nico had managed to find his feet and attack Pelorus, giving Percy just enough time to recover.

Pelorus, however, was not pleased. Eyes glowing, he yelled, and the earth responded. A shockwave capable of felling the Empire State Building rippled through the room, tossing demigods and monsters alike through the air. Nico, who had been the closest to the giant, went flying through the air as if pushed by a giant invisible hand. He hit the wall and fell to the ground; Percy couldn't tell if he was dead or alive.

A wave of fury hit Percy so hard, at first he thought it was another shockwave. Nico was a little brother to him; and after Nico saved his life, there was no way in Tartarus that he was going to let Nico die.

Percy felt his pen return to his pocket, and, with renewed energy, attacked Pelorus again. Pelorus might have had strength on his side, but Percy was a smaller target, quicker, and boiling mad.

Percy rushed in to attack. Pelorus stabbed with his spear, but Percy rolled under it, came up next to the giant, and slashed at his legs. Pelorus tried stabbing at Percy, but only got empty air. Percy drove his sword through Pelorus' ankle.

"Just like with Ares on the beach so long ago," Percy thought. But Pelorus had retreated, and his wounds had already begun to heal. He was more cautious now, and Percy had a hard time getting a hit in. Pelorus launched a series of attacks, and Percy had to go onto defense. He barely managed to fend off the blows, but he figured that Pelorus wasn't aiming to kill him, only knock him out. Percy had no such qualms.

Still, neither Percy nor Pelorus managed to gain or lose any ground. However, Percy was tiring, and he knew that Pelorus could out-last him in a fight. He had to find a way to win quickly.

_Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes_.

Annabeth's words from when they were twelve came rushing back to Percy. He had beaten Ares by out-smarting him, not out-fighting him. If it had worked on Ares, maybe it would work on his bane, too. Of course, he still needed a god to help kill the giant, but he could figure that part out later.

How to outsmart Pelorus was the problem, though. Percy wasn't exactly known for his brilliance, and there wasn't an ocean around, so he couldn't pull the same wave trick that he did on the beach with Ares.

_Earthshaker, stormbringer, father of horses. _Chiron's words echoed in his mind. Percy was getting a bit concerned withvoices in his head, but he would deal with it later. He knew what he had to do.

Percy ran straight towards Pelorus. Pelorus brought his spear up, and Percy knew from the way his weight was centered that he would expect Percy to roll under his strike like he had before. This time, however, Percy had another trick up his sleeve.

He concentrated on the ground beneath him. The noises of battle were all around him, and Percy could almost imagine the earth shaking from the sound of the clash of blades, the stomping feet, the voices screaming battle cries.

A small tremor shook the cavern. It wasn't large, but it shifted Pelorus slightly off balance, giving Percy time to get in close. Percy ran around the giant's legs again, slashing and hacking with Riptide. Instead of trying to stab Percy like he did before, Pelorus stepped backwards to use his spear from a further distance. However, at the same time that he was backing away, Pelorus had to try to avoid Percy's strikes. Percy had spent years observing his opponents' stances while in battle, so he knew when Pelorus was off balance. That was when he struck.

A second earthquake, larger than the one before, shook the cavern. Pelorus stumbled and fell, cracking his head against the wall. Percy knew that giants had big heads and thick skulls, but he figured that it still gave Pelorus a nasty bump on the head.

Pelorus seemed to be in some sort of half-conscious stage. His eyes were fluttering, but his wounds were still healing themselves.

"Now," Percy thought. If they were to defeat Pelorus, they needed a god's help while he was still weak. He started praying to the gods, hoping that any one of them might listen.

"Father, please help me defeat this giant because if I die, you're going to have to be the one to tell Mom. Ares, this guy is your bane! If you ever wanted to kill someone, wouldn't it be him? Zeus, you're the king of gods, and Gaea wants to replace you. If you want to keep your position, help me defeat Pelorus so we get one step closer to defeating Gaea."

No lightning bolt came to fry Pelorus, and there wasn't a tidal wave that swept the giant off. Percy sighed when he saw that Pelorus' wounds were still healing. He gripped Anaklusmos tighter, took a fighting stance, and waited for Pelorus to regain his feet. No gods were coming to help him. His only hope was to fend off Pelorus long enough for Hazel and Frank to get Nico and escape.

Percy almost turned around to check on his friends, but he realized something was happening. Despite there being no wind in a cavern, a cool breeze swept through the cave, chilling him to the bone. The torches that had burned brightly a minute ago flickered and dimmed.

The shadows around Pelorus thickened so that Percy swore they were almost solid. Darkness flowed up to cover Pelorus' entire body. His wounds stopped healing themselves, and he gasped as if he could not penetrate the blackness to reach fresh air.

Percy glanced back to see if it was Nico who was causing this, but he was still unmoving. And, as far as he knew, Hazel didn't have this power. That meant...

Percy walked right up to Pelorus. The giant was still gasping for air, so weak that he couldn't even swing his sword. Percy glared at Pelorus for a moment, sword hovering over the giant's chest.

"This is for Nico," he muttered, and slammed the sword down where the giant's heart should have been. Slowly, the giant started dissolving into dust, his essence returning to Tartarus. Percy glanced at the shadows, which were now retreating away from the remains of the giant.

"Thank you, Lord Hades," he said. Turning, he went to go help his friends finish off the last of the enemy.


	19. Frank 3

Frank

Without a leader, Pelorus' army fell into chaos. Frank, Hazel, and Percy (who had re-joined the fight) made quick work of the remaining monsters. Throughout the battle, Frank had seen glimpses of Percy fighting the giant, but he couldn't afford to get distracted.

During the battle, Frank had turned into a bear, lion, and a giant monkey (he realized how much he loved his opposable thumbs). He and Hazel had managed to about half of the enemy before Percy managed to defeat Pelorus.

The death of their leader had a huge impact on the monsters. They were so worried about Percy that they forgot about Hazel and Frank, who took advantage of their forgetfulness. Between the three of them, the monsters didn't stand a chance. Soon, the only evidence of the monsters being there in the first place were the piles of golden dust.

"Hazel, Frank, you okay?" Percy asked.

Frank took a quick inventory. Two arms, two legs, a head, no monkey body parts? Yep, he was good.

They managed to escape mostly unscathed. The worse wound between the three of them was Hazel's sprained wrist, which she said didn't bother her too much. Of course, that wasn't including Nico's injuries.

As soon as the fight was over, Hazel had rushed to her brother's side. He was still out cold, but Hazel poured a few drops of nectar into his mouth. Percy closed Nico's nose and rubbed his throat, triggering the gag reflex, so he would swallow.

"We have to get back to the _Argo_," Frank reminded them. "Let's take care of him there, okay?"

"How?" Hazel asked. "We can't move him."

"We have to," Frank insisted.

Percy got a glint in his eyes, the one that made Frank want to run from whatever crazy idea Percy had in store.

"Frank," Percy said, "How much do you know about equine animals?"

Frank was not happy with his new look. Percy had a genius idea to turn Frank into a horse, which Frank immediately turned down. He kept insisting that he was not a taxi service, and he didn't know enough about horses to turn into one. However, one look at Hazel's pleading face, and he had to give in.

Percy looked at him with a small grin on his face. "You know, you look like the stuff of legend. Behold: King Arthur's noble steed has returned!"

Frank snorted and gave him his best horse glare- which probably didn't work too well, considering he'd never seen a horse scowl at someone. He snorted some things in Horse that, should they be translated here, would have to be censored for younger audiences.

"Dude," Percy said. "You know I speak horse, right? I can understand what you're saying."

Frank rolled his eyes- he saw horses do that plenty of times- and displayed Percy with a lovely view of his tail.

"What's he saying?" Hazel asked Percy.

"Trust me, you really don't want to know."

The three of them made their way back to the _Argo_. They weren't going particularly fast, for fear that Nico would fall off, but they didn't run to any more monsters, either, so that was definitely a plus.

When they reached the ship, Frank whinnied to Percy, "Get Nico off me, I'm going to change into an eagle."

Percy and Hazel took the ladder up to the deck while Frank took the more direct route of flying up there with Nico in his talons. (Those were literal talons, not the 'I-have-you-in-my-grasp kind of talons).

Since none of the others were back yet, the three of them got to work with bandaging up Nico. Hazel fed him some nectar while Percy tried to use the medical supplies.

Nico's eyes fluttered and opened, which he immediately closed again with a groan.

"Nico!" Hazel exclaimed joyfully. "Can you hear me?"

Nico gave his head a slight nod, and then immediately winced, as if this minor action had pained him greatly. Hazel tried to give him some ambrosia, but he refused to open his mouth.

"Too much... burn up," Nico managed.

Percy finished bandaging up Nico's leg. He was no medical expert, but he didn't do too bad of a job, either.

"How's your head, Nico?" Percy asked, worried.

"Fine," Nico whispered.

Percy gave him a doubtful look, but before he could argue, he was interrupted.

Frank, who was on guard duty, saw some very familiar figures approaching at a run. "Jason, Leo, and Piper are back," he called. His eyes widened. "Quick, help me lower the ladder!"

Percy rushed to help Frank. The ladder had barely reached the ground before the three demigods arrived, panting and out of breath. It was soon apparent why they were in such a hurry. Almost a hundred monsters were pursuing them, just a hundred yards back. They were pushing citizens out of the way, ignoring them in favor of a more tasty demigod meal.

A roman cursed at them in Latin; something about tourists. It was times like these where Frank was thankful for the Mist.

As the three demigods reached the ladder, Frank realized that something was wrong with Piper's ankle. She was hobbling and using Jason as a support. Frank quickly changed back into an eagle and flew down. He grabbed Piper by the shoulders and dropped her on board the _Argo II_, leaving the boys to scramble up the ladder as quickly as they could.

"We have to go," Jason said as he got to the top. "Leo, get us ready for flight."

"Hold on," Percy protested. "Annabeth's not back yet. We have to wait for her."

Jason looked at him incredulously. "Percy, Piper is injured! If we wait, Gaea's minions will come on board. It'll be five against one hundred!"

"I'm not leaving her," Percy said stubbornly.

Jason tried reasoning with him. "Look, she went on a quest for her mom _by herself_. We can't interfere. We don't know how long this quest might take; a few minutes, or a few days. We have to concentrate on the immediate threat right now. We can't fight them."

_It did make sense,_ Frank reasoned. While Romans were trained to never leave one of their own behind, they also knew that some sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.

"I've fought one against two hundred before, and I won. With you guys, your fighting skills and your powers, we can take them out!" Percy insisted.

As soon as Percy mentioned that he had killed two hundred monsters before, Jason's face morphed into a mixture of anger and... was it jealousy?

Before he could say anything, however, one of the monsters below shrieked. They had reached the bottom of the boat. Leo had pulled the ladder up, so the demigods were safe for now.

"We have to go! This is our last chance!" Jason screamed at Percy.

Percy shook his head again. "Not without Annabeth!"

Jason's face contorted into a mask of rage. "Leo, get the ship in the air. Now!"

"Oh, since when were you the leader of this quest?" Percy asked Jason. "Or did you forget that you weren't the only one who's had his memories wiped and switched with the other camp? We have to work together, so that means that you can't call all the shots on your own."

"Me? Call all the shots? You're one to talk, Mr. Hero of Olympus!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jason opened his mouth again, but was interrupted when the first of the monsters spilled over the side of the boat. He glared at Percy, as if to say: _Well, it's too late now. If we die, it's all your fault._

Frank was astounded. He had known that there was going to be some tension between the two leaders. Greeks and Romans had been separated for a reason, and they were bound to have their fathers' tempers. But Frank thought that both Percy and Jason were cool, and that, if anyone could unite the two camps, they could. But if the two of them couldn't do it, then there was no hope at all for defeating Gaea.

Frank was pulled out of his thoughts when a hellhound bounded out of nowhere to attack him. He had no idea how the monsters had gotten on the ship, seeing as the ladder was up, but he didn't have time to think about that now.

He dodged the hellhound's first attack so that it leaped past him. As it was turning around, Frank drew an arrow and shot it in the snout. Not his best shot by far, but it still worked, as the monster disintegrated.

He quickly drew two more arrows and shot both of them at once, hitting two monsters that were attacking Hazel. She nodded her thanks, but then made a grabbing motion at him. Frank was confused until he turned around to find one of his arrows in an _empousa _sneaking up behind him. He realized that Hazel must have controlled the imperial golden tip of his arrow. He smiled at her before turning back to the fight.

His eyes widened when he saw Percy and Jason. The two camp leaders seemed to be trying to outdo each other. Jason was calling the winds to aid him, flying all around the monsters, confusing them until his _gladius_ sent their essence back to Tartarus. A mob of _dracanae_ attacked him, only to be blown off the ship by a strong gust of wind.

Percy, too, was a sight to see. He wasn't using any of his powers, but his skill with a sword made up for it. Much like he had done during War Games at Camp Jupiter, he was using the Greek fighting style; slashing and rolling and causing chaos among the monsters. Riptide glinted in the sunlight as it swung through the air, killing monster after monster. Between the five of them, Gaea's minions didn't stand a chance. Soon piles of dust littered the deck of the _Argo_.

Frank looked around and was pleased to see that none of them had been severely injured, with the exception of Piper, whose ankle collapsed under her the minute the last monster had been defeated. Frank knew that the fighting had only made her ankle worse, but it would heal with a little nectar and ambrosia.

Out of the corner of his eye, Frank saw Percy give Jason a brief look; it wasn't more than a glance, but it gave a clear message:_ I was right; we made it through the fight alive._

_Uh oh, _Frank thought. He knew that nothing good could come of this.

Jason's jaw clenched. He marched up to Percy and jabbed a finger in his direction. "Oh, that's right, I forgot. You're Percy Jackson, Hero of Olympus; you're right all the time, huh?"

Now, all six demigods were watching the exchange. Frank glanced at Piper, who understood what he was trying to say.

"Guys, why don't you both just sit down and cool off?" Piper said, her voice flowing with charmspeak. But it appeared that it wasn't working, because instead of calming down, Percy just got more aggravated.

"What's that supposed to mean? Unlike you, I don't think of myself above all others."

What was going on? The two leaders had gotten into minor skirmishes on the way to Rome, but never one this big, and certainly not one where they outright blamed the other for something.

Frank took a step towards the two, hoping to break up the fighting (although he knew that he couldn't stand a chance against two angry sons of Jupiter and Poseidon) when he saw something that made him stop in his tracks.

"Gaea," he growled. Piper, Leo, and Hazel immediately came running (or, in Piper's case, hobbling) up to him.

"What? Where?" Hazel demanded.

Frank pointed to a far hill where a woman's face was shaping itself.

"Did you do this? Are you causing Jason and Percy to fight?" Piper yelled.

Gaea chuckled. "I am not making them say things that they do not already have in their hearts. And I must compliment you on a job well done in rescuing the son of Hades. But your time is running out. One week is all you have, demigods. One week." Gaea's face started to melt back in the earth.

"One week until what?" Leo yelled at the figure. "What happens in one week?"

Gaea laughed. "One week until I awaken. And after that, no force in the world can stop me. But first, little demigods, you must stop your allies from killing your own. One week."

The four of them stared at the hill, even after Gaea's features melted away.

"One week until the end of the world," Leo muttered.

"What did she mean about killing our own?" Hazel asked.

Frank's eyes widened in realization just as the other three reached the same conclusion. As one, they bolted towards Percy and Jason.


	20. Piper 3

Piper

The sons of Poseidon and Jupiter were furious. Winds were howling so loudly that Piper didn't think she could hear Leo, who was right next to her, if he yelled. Everything not tethered down (which, unfortunately, included the demigods) was thrown all around. Both Jason's and Percy's swords were drawn, and, although neither was moving, there was tension in the air.

_I have to stop this before they can hurt each other,_ Piper thought. "Jason! Percy! Stop! Don't attack each other!"

However, her charmspeak had no effect, as neither boy could hear her over the wind. Suddenly, Jason leapt forward with a cry, swinging his gladius towards Percy's throat. Riptide knocked the other blade away, and the fight began in earnest.

It was horrifying yet amazing at the same time. The two warriors moved with a ferocious grace, strike after strike, dodging the other's blows. One fought with the traditional Roman style of quick jabs, while the other's strokes were sweeping and unpredictable.

Jason's wind was slowing Percy down. He had to lean forward just to be able to stand up, while not so much as a hair on Jason blew in the breeze. However, Percy was moving all around Jason, so that the son of Jupiter had to keep changing the direction of the wind in order to push Percy back.

Suddenly, Jason yelled, and a lightning bolt came down and hit Percy in the chest, blasting him completely off of the _Argo. _The winds calmed down a little, and Jason walked over to the side of the boat. While he moved normally, Piper knew that calling down the lightning had really worn him out. From what she heard, Thalia was more of the lightning type, and Jason was better with wind currents.

Jason looked over the side of the boat. He was probably going to make sure Percy was dead, Piper realized. Her throat tightened at the thought that Percy was dead, and she started slowly walking towards Jason, hoping that he was back to normal.

She never made it to Jason. A giant wave came up, with Percy riding on top of it.

_Of course,_ Piper thought. _The lake_.

When Leo had landed the _Argo_, he had parked next to a sparkling lake. It seemed that Percy had been knocked off the side of the boat into the lake. Piper breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Percy wasn't dead, but then she realized that the fight wasn't over yet.

Percy had lost his sword when Jason knocked him overboard, but it appeared that he didn't need it. Jason came charging at him, but Percy simply raised his hands to the sides, higher and higher. The lake responded to his wish as thousands upon thousands of gallons of water towered over the top deck, held there only by Percy's control.

It was one of the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen. The water in itself would be enough to make her nervous, but what really frightened her was the look on Percy's face. From their time together on the _Argo_, Piper found out that he was an easygoing guy who always lightened the mood. He would do anything to save a friend and fought ferociously whenever his home was in danger.

This Percy looked nothing like the Percy she knew. His face was stony and cold, and his eyes, normally a bright sea green, were dark and malicious, like the ocean during a storm.

With a yell, Percy sent the water surging forward. Jason raised his hands, palms out. The wind howled as it pushed against the water, which stopped as if it met an invisible wall. But the water was too strong to be restrained. With a final push, Percy sent the water racing forwards again, and the wall of wind could not hold it back. Jason barely had enough time to shoot upwards on a jet of air before the water reached where he was.

While Jason cleared most of the water, he didn't get above all of it. He was still tossed backwards by a good hundred gallons of water. He, too, was knocked off the ship, but a jet of wind immediately deposited him back on deck.

By then, Percy's sword had returned to him, and he was ready when Jason charged him with his gladius, which he had miraculously managed to hold on to.

As Jason raced across the deck, water again rose, but instead of attacking Jason, it was coming towards Percy. Piper watched in awe as the water swirled around the son of Poseidon, forming his own personal hurricane.

Jason couldn't get too close to Percy without being knocked away by the hurricane. The two of them started fighting with swords, but it was obvious that Percy had an advantage. Jason had to squint because water kept getting in his eyes, and he couldn't control the wind for fear of making Percy's hurricane larger. Plus, he was already tired from summoning the lightning bolt. It was only a matter of time, Piper knew, before Percy overwhelmed him. What would he do then? Kill him?

The thought shocked her into action. She turned to Frank, Hazel, and Leo beside her. Frank and Hazel had told her that they had already seen him create a miniature hurricane in Alaska, but apparently either this one was larger or they hadn't had time to appreciate it when they were freeing Thanatos, because they were staring wide-eyed at Percy. Leo had never seen it before, and his mouth was literally open. His eyes were wide, and it was a miracle he remembered to breathe.

"Guys," Piper told them. Getting no response, she tried charmspeak. "Guys!"

That got their attention. "We have to stop this before they kill each other," Piper said.

"How?" Leo asked. "We can't fight them!"

"I'll distract them," a voice from behind them said. They swiveled around to see Nico swaying slightly, but still on his feet.

"Nico, you need to sit down," Hazel said. She rushed over to her brother, but Nico shook his head.

"I've got a plan of sorts," he said. He explained it to them, and they agreed, although Hazel was reluctant.

"Are you sure you can do it?" she asked. "You're not completely recovered."

"I'll be fine," he said. "Besides, we don't have a better plan, so we'll just have to hope it'll work." He drew his sword. "I don't know if I can do it on the boat. I think they'll be on the ground. Leo, lower the ladder."

Leo rushed off to do that, and Nico concentrated hard. "Serve me, spirits of the dead!" he called. The ground rumbled and poured out a dozen undead warriors. As Nico had predicted, they were on the ground. The ladder dropped, and, one by one, they climbed up onto the deck.

Leo shuddered. "Skeletons on my boat," he muttered.

The skeleton warriors ignored him. They drew their swords and charged at Percy and Jason.

"Are you sure they won't kill them?" Frank asked. Nico nodded. He looked pale.

"Yeah, it's just a distraction," he said. "The two of them will have no trouble killing them all. This is just to buy us time."

Frank nodded and shapeshifted into an eagle. He, too, flew to where Jason and Percy were no longer fighting each other, but the warriors. Piper knew that Frank, like the skeletons, were going to just prevent Percy and Jason from killing each other, but she was worried that one of them might accidently harm Frank in their state of mind. She could see that Hazel was thinking the same thing, because she was biting her lip.

Leo was watching Frank with envy. "Remind me again, why does he get that job?"

"Because fire doesn't work against water," Nico explained. "And you have just as important of a job. If there's one person who could split them up, it's Annabeth. Try and find her quickly."

"But she could be anywhere in Rome," Leo complained.

"Leo," Piper said, "would you rather find someone or be in a fight with two powerful demigod sons of the Big Three that are being manipulated by Gaea so they won't hesitate to kill you if you get in the way?"

Leo gulped. "I'll look for Annabeth, then," he said.

Leo quickly descended the ladder with Hazel following him. Piper knew that her words about Jason and Percy killing whoever got in their way didn't help Hazel, who was still worrying about Frank, but they, too, had jobs to do.

Nico nodded at Piper, like a silent 'Good luck' before descending the stairs to the lower decks of the _Argo_.

Piper took a deep breath and walked towards Jason and Percy. There were only three skeleton warriors left, plus Frank, who was now a lion.

"Stop fighting!" Piper said, putting charmspeak into her words. While they didn't stop fighting, they did slow down, which was reassuring. Piper smiled and started to repeat the command, but Jason yelled, and a big gust of air threw her backwards. Piper hit her head on the mast and lay there for a moment, stunned. Jason-

No. No, it was not Jason who did this to her. It was Gaea. She was somehow controlling the two boys. With renewed energy, Piper got up again, only to be hit in the face by a wave. While it seemed that the water was not aimed at her, it didn't exactly feel pleasant, either.

She accidentally swallowed some, and started coughing. It seemed to go on forever. She knew that she had to get back to the fight, but water was still stuck in her throat. She heard a crash and managed to look up. Frank had been thrown backwards (she didn't know if Percy or Jason had done it) and was slumped against the side of the boat. He had apparently smashed his head on something, and he didn't appear to be conscious.

There were no skeleton warriors left. Percy and Jason slowly turned back to each other, and got ready to battle again. Both were injured and exhausted, but they readied their weapons.

Piper struggled to her feet. "S-stop," she coughed, but her words had no effect. The boys started slowly circling each other, looking for an opening.

_Please, _Piper thought, _Mom or any of the gods who are listening: just make them stop_.

As if in answer to her prayers, something came barreling up the stairs from the lower deck. Piper just had time to leap out of the way before the black blur raced in between Jason and Percy.

Blackjack reared and neighed. Piper didn't know what he was saying, but she was glad for the intervention.

"Careful!" Piper shouted. "They're being controlled by Gaea or something."

Jason thrust out his hand, and a jet of wind tossed Blackjack into the air. However, the pegasus easily flew above the wind that Jason had caused and landed on the _Argo_.

"Come on!" Nico yelled as he drew his sword and ran into the fray.

Piper hesitated only briefly before she drew Katoptris and followed him.

The boys had started fighting again. "We have to knock them out," Piper told Nico.

He nodded in agreement. "One problem: how do we do that?"

She looked at Jason. She didn't want to hurt him, but... but this wasn't Jason. She kept reminding herself that. This wasn't Jason. She had to set aside her personal feelings for him if she didn't want him to kill Percy.

"Well," she thought aloud, "they look pretty occupied. We sneak up behind them?"

"Sounds good," Nico agreed. "I'll get Jason, you get Percy?"

Piper was glad that Nico didn't suggest that she should knock Jason out. "Let's go."

Piper tried to sneak up behind Percy, as Nico did with Jason. She thought that Nico had a little bit more luck, though, because he kept hiding in the shadows, while she just tried not to draw attention to herself.

She was almost to Percy when Jason crumpled to the ground. Piper almost ran over to check on him before she realized that it was Nico.

Percy seemed just as startled. He raised his sword, blade pointing down at Jason's neck. With a shock, Piper realized that she had to move, before Percy killed Jason. She sprung forward, but Percy somehow realized she was there. He spun around, catching her blade on his own. Piper was shocked, but she kept fighting him. She knew that she didn't have a chance against Percy; he was a much better swordsman than she.

Despite the fact that her charmspeak wasn't working properly, it was her only hope. However, she couldn't even get a word out. All of her concentration went into the fight. Percy was pressing her so hard, she knew that if her attention was diverted for even a second, he would overcome her.

Faster than her eyes could follow, Riptide slashed, and cut her sword arm. Grimacing in pain, Piper moved her dagger into her left hand, but she knew that the fight was already over. Percy drew back his sword to deliver the killing blow, but almost immediately ducked down. Blackjack had flown over to help Piper, and if Percy had not ducked, the pegasus' hooves would have given Percy a rather nasty concussion.

Piper knew how much it must be hurting Blackjack to battle with his master, so she leapt forward. Percy somehow sensed her again and spun around.

"Stop," Piper hissed, and Percy froze in place. Piper knew that her charmspeak wouldn't keep hold of him for very long, but that extra second was all that she needed. She quickly hit Percy in the back of the head with the hilt of her dagger, and he crumpled like a sack of potatoes. Piper tried to push down the guilt she felt, and instead turned to Blackjack.

"Thanks," she said. "If you're not too tired, could you go check to see if Hazel and Leo have found Annabeth yet?"

Blackjack whinnied, as if to say: 'Tired? Who, me? Nah, I could do this all day.' Of course, since she didn't speak horse, he could just as easily have been saying: 'I want donuts.' Still, the pegasus jumped off the ship and flew out of sight.

"Hey, do you think you could help me carry your boyfriend?"

Piper turned around to see Nico pulling on Jason's legs, trying to get him downstairs back into his cabin. At her amused look, Nico explained. "He's heavier than he looks."

Shrugging, Piper grabbed Jason's arms and lifted him up.

After both Percy and Jason were in their respective cabins, Piper and Nico went back up to the top deck.

"When they wake up, do you think they'll still be under Gaea's spell?" Nico asked Piper, who was currently pouring nectar into Frank's mouth.

Piper hesitated. "Actually, I'm not sure if it was Gaea herself who was controlling him." She saw Nico's confused glance.

"If it wasn't her, who was it?"

"I'm not sure, but I think... I think it was Medea," Piper said. "I don't know why else my charmspeak wouldn't work. It worked against Gaea when we freed Hera from her cage, but not Medea."

"Do you think she charmspoke them?" Nico asked. "How? When?"

Piper just shook her head. "I don't know. The only possible explanation is Gaea, then. Maybe she... I don't know, invaded their minds?"

It sounded pretty far-fetched to her, but Nico nodded like it made complete sense. "Gaea can do that. She can reach into peoples' minds. She can make you see things-" His voice broke off like he was remembering an unpleasant memory. He shook his head a bit. "It makes sense that she can speak in their minds, too. Maybe she, like, set up a direct line from Medea to Percy and Jason, or something."

"Like a phone." It was a little weird, comparing an ancient goddess to a piece of modern-day technology, but she thought that the simile worked.

Frank groaned and stirred. " 'azel?" he asked before he was completely awake.

Piper grinned a little. _Awww, that's so cute!_ She shook herself out of that thought. Now wasn't the time to play mushy daughter of Aphrodite.

Nico, on the other hand, was staring at Frank with a blank face, like 'I think you're cool, but if you hurt a hair on my sister's head, I will make sure you rot in the Fields of Punishment.'

Whoa. When had she gotten so good at reading people?

"Can you cure Percy and Jason?" Nico asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Probably," Piper said, but it sounded doubtful, even to her. "I did it once. But we'll have to wait until they're conscious, I think."

A loud groan interrupted their conversation. Frank blinked heavily and sat up, groaning in pain.

"Easy," Piper said. "Here, have some ambrosia."

Frank thanked her and chewed it down while she updated him on the fight, Blackjack, and Medea.

"So what do we do now?" Frank asked.

"We IM camp," Nico replied. "We need to tell them that Gaea's rising."

"Sure, but what can they do?" Piper asked. "I mean, it's our quest, so they can't interfere."

"Maybe not," Nico shrugged. "But it can't hurt, either. And we can ask them if the Romans have gotten there yet."

Piper explained to Frank the concept of an Iris Message, since Romans used eagles to deliver their letters, while Nico turned on the hose (why Leo had that, Piper had no idea, but she was glad he did). It was bright and sunny today, so it was easy to form a rainbow.

Piper fished out a drachma and threw it in. "Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering," she said. "Show us Chiron at Camp Half-Blood."

A picture formed, and Piper was greeted with the sight of the Big House. Piper hadn't realized how much she missed it until now. There was nothing like a doomed quest to get you to feel homesick.

The centaur was sitting alone at the table where he usually played pinochle with Mr. D. His back was to the Iris Message, and he was gazing out towards the strawberry fields.

"Chiron!" Piper called. She smiled when her old mentor turned around to face them. Despite him not actually being there, he had a calming presence that made her feel more at ease.

"Piper, my dear," he said, sounding relieved to see her alive. "Hello, Frank. And Nico, too! I must say, it is good to see you back, my boy."

"Thanks, Chiron."

"Where are the others?" Chiron asked, apparently just noting the five missing demigods. "Are they..."

"They're fine," Piper quickly reassured him. She quickly filled him in on what had gone on. She told him about how they had rescued Nico, Jason and Percy's fight, her suspicions about Medea, and about how Gaea was going to rise in a week.

Throughout her summary, Chiron had been frowning and looking worried. When she was done, he stroked his thinning beard as he did when deep in thought.

"My dear-"

"Pony!" A young voice cut in. Another figure came bounding up next to Chiron so they could see him. It was Tyson, and on his shoulder was the now ever-present harpy, Ella. Tyson saw the Iris Message and waved happily.

"Hi! You are still not dead! Yay!" He clapped his hands. "Ella, say 'hi' to Percy's friends!"

"Hello," the harpy said. "Hello, Goodbye. Written by Paul McCartney, 1967. Topped US charts, becoming the Beatles' 15th Number One song."

"Where is my brother?" Tyson asked. "I want to see Percy!"

No one had the heart to tell him that Percy was currently unconscious after being possessed. "Um, he's busy right now, but I'll tell him you said 'hi', okay?" Piper said.

Tyson looked a little bit put out that his brother couldn't talk to him, but he nodded.

"So, Chiron," Nico said, trying to save them from the awkward silence. "How's the battle with the Romans going?"

Immediately Chiron's expression darkened. He started to open his mouth, but Ella interrupted again.

"Battle," she said. "'Before battle, captains prayed to her [Athena] for tactics.' The Greek Gods by Evslin, Evslin, and Hoopes, page 9. _Wisdom's daughter walks alone/ The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Battle's chosen has a different course/ Six fly to Greece with hearts of remorse."_

Tyson continued talking with Ella as usual, but Piper didn't hear a word they were saying. It was if someone had poured a gallon of ice cold water over her, and she was in shock. From the expressions on the others' faces, she could tell that they felt the same way. Ella had delivered two more lines of the prophecy.


	21. Leo 2

Leo

Leo had never been good with time. He was always late to activities when he was at camp, because he would always lose track of time while tinkering with one of his projects. Leo liked to take his time with things, making sure every piece was in the right place, checking and double checking before deeming the project usable. After all, as his mom used to say, it was better to spend more time building it right the first time than rushing through the job only to have to go back and start all over again when it broke. This time, Leo didn't have that time to waste.

He supposed he could blame Kronos. After all, he was the lord of Time, and he did harbor a grudge against demigods. Plus, he was Gaea's son, so of course he would play up to her needs (although he didn't exactly mention this to the others-particularly those who had fought against him in the Second Titan War. Percy was cool, but Leo didn't think he'd like it if the titan who was the cause for so many deaths could be called a Mommy's Boy).

They had just finished the IM with Chiron, Tyson, and Ella. Although the seven of the prophecy had left the Romans on good terms, Octavian had managed to turn the tables on them. He had apparently managed to convince approximately half the Romans- both his supporters and those he had blackmailed- to go to war with Camp Half-Blood. Reyna had managed to get a message to the seven this on their way to Rome, and they, in turn, had warned Chiron. At the time, they didn't think it was too much of an issue, seeing as Reyna was Praetor and the Romans couldn't go to war without her consent, but, according to the latest Iris Message from Chiron, things had drastically changed since their last meeting with the Romans.

The Romans were currently marching towards Camp Half-Blood. Half of them were going for peace negotiations and to join forces against Gaea; the other half were going to declare war. It was up to Reyna to hold the Romans in check until Chiron could successfully negotiate peace talks with them; however, Octavian was sure to do everything in his power- including lying, blackmailing, and deceiving the Romans to try and attack their Greek counterparts. According to Pegasi scouts, the Romans would be in New York in two days' time. The seven could only hope for the best.

"I have to go." Nico's voice, while weary, held a fierce determination in it. Hazel looked like she was ready to knock him out and tie him down to prevent him from going.

"Nico, you're still injured; you still need to recuperate! And how will you get there? It's across the Atlantic Ocean! Besides, if things go wrong and they go to war with each other-"

"But that's exactly why I have to go," Nico cut in. "to make sure that they don't go to war. I need to make sure they know who the _real_ enemy is. I'm still the Ambassador of Pluto, and a demigod known to both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. If anyone can make them see sense, it's me."

"Or Octavian could use it against you," Frank countered. "He could say that you're a spy."

Nico shrugged. "That's a risk I'll have to take. I have to stop them from fighting each other. Besides... I'm not part of the seven, remember? I'm not even supposed to be on this quest. I'm just a pit stop you guys made on your way to stop Gaea."

"Nico, that's not-" Hazel started to protest, but was once again cut off by the son of Hades.

"Listen, something... something's telling me that I have to do this. Like it's my part to play in the war. I have to unite the two camps."

"How will you get there?" Piper, who had been silent up until now, chimed in.

"Well, normally I'd shadow travel, but I'm not sure I have enough energy. I'll have to take Blackjack."

"Blackjack?" Frank asked. "Like, Blackjack the Pegasus?"

"No, I mean blackjack the casino game," Nico retorted sarcastically. "Of course I mean the Pegasus."

Hazel started to protest again, but this time Piper cut her off. "I think it's a good idea; Nico's known to both camps. Are you sure Blackjack will take you? I thought he was Percy's Pegasus."

"He is," Nico said, "but he's not as uncomfortable with me as some... other animals are. I think he'll let me ride him."

"How long will it take to get there?" Leo asked.

"I'm not sure, but with the kind of superspeed thing the Pegasi can do... probably two or three hours, tops."

Nico and Hazel gazed steadily at each other. It was almost a battle of wills: Hazel pleading with him not to do it, while Nico's eyes still shone with the same determination. Finally, Hazel sighed and gave in.

"Fine, but be careful, okay?" she admonished.

"Yes, Ma'am," Nico muttered. Hazel gave him a look, let it go. Five minutes later, Nico had gotten Blackjack to agree to let him ride back to Camp Half-Blood. Of course, seeing as none of them were sons of Poseidon, they couldn't be sure of what Blackjack was saying, but seeing as he wasn't rearing or kicking any of them, they assumed that meant he agreed. However, the promise of sugar cubes when they got to camp could have improved their chances with the Pegasus.

Nico slipped on Blackjack's back. "Good luck," he said, looking down at them with a slight smile.

"You, too."

Nico turned back to face the front. Blackjack spread his wings and, with three great thrusts, the two of them were airborne for Camp Half-Blood.

[Annabeth's POV]

Annabeth ran faster than ever before. She ran faster than a satyr chasing a tree nymph. She ran faster than when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 came out on DVD.

_Then again_, Annabeth thought wryly, _having an army of monsters chasing you does provide an incentive to move quickly_.

As she rounded a corner at breakneck speed, shouting apologies to a random skateboarder whom she had almost knocked over, she checked her pocket to make sure her gift from her mother was still there. Sure enough, it was, glowing as brightly as ever.

Annabeth quickly patted her other pocket to see if the other item was still there. It was, which was good, because it would be a shame if she had made it through all the monsters, the collapsing buildings, and the cave only to have lost the thing she was sent to retrieve.

A few hundred meters ahead of her, Annabeth saw a massive shape looming above the trees on the outer layer of the _Parco del Colle Oppio_, or the Park of Opium Hill. Smiling, she put on an extra burst of speed and sprinted the rest of the way to the _Argo II_. She quickly scaled the rope ladder and then hauled it back up, although she knew that it wouldn't delay the monsters for more than a few minutes at best. She had to get back to the others.

[Back to Leo's POV]

Leo, Piper, Frank, and Hazel were on deck when Annabeth burst onto the ship, panting and out of breath.

"Annabeth," Hazel said, shock in her voice. "What-"

"No time," the daughter of Athena gasped out. "Monsters coming- quickly."

"Leo, get this ship in the air!" Piper yelled.

"The third upward thruster got messed up in Jason's and Percy's fight," Leo called back. "We can still fly, but it'll take us five minutes just to lift off."

"We don't have that kind of time," Annabeth said. "And- wait, Percy and Jason got in a fight?"

"Gaea was controlling them, but they're both fine, and Nico took Blackjack back to Camp Half-Blood to try and convince the Greeks and Romans not to kill each other." Piper gave Annabeth the abridged version of their adventures.

"Right... okay, there's no time, so listen closely. I've completed my mother's quest. The Mark of Athena- it's the owl she gave me, it's an automaton. Basically, it acts as a compass. It flies and points me in the right direction, and it glows brighter the closer I am. And I found what my mother wanted me to find- here."

From her pocket, she withdrew a key of solid black obsidian. It was soon clear that this was not an ordinary key, however, as it kept shifting, barely in focus.

"The doors aren't in one definite place. It's hard to explain, but it's like it borders in between two different realities: the real world and the mythological one."

"But... we exist in different realities, don't we?" Leo asked, confused. "I mean, we're part human, part god."

"Right, the keys are like that, too: they border between realities. But it's a bit more complicated than that. The doors can't be just in one place; they're constantly moving, and... it's complicated, but I don't think the doors are physical doors at all. The doors are just physical representations the pathway from the Underworld to the land of the living. They exist but doesn't have a physical form," Annabeth said.

"So, basically, the doors aren't doors but they are because the actual doors are not physical, but we think of them as doors because we need a physical representation of something for the human mind to comprehend?" Piper asked.

"I have absolutely no clue what you just said," Leo said from the control panel, looking really confused.

"Make that two of us," Frank added, just as lost as Leo.

Annabeth sighed impatiently. "Look, we don't have time for this. Basically, those are the keys to the Doors of Death. We need them to close the doors and prevent any more souls from escaping. I have no idea where the actual doors are or if there's a specific way to close them-"

"I may be able to help with at least one of those questions," Piper chimed in. She had pulled a map up on one of the screens. The other four demigods crowded around behind her. Piper tapped the screen and zoomed into one place.

"I think this will be the most likely place she'll rise," Piper said, pointing to a specific location.

"Of course," Annabeth muttered. "When I said I wanted to visit it, I didn't mean like this."

"The Pantheon," Leo said. "The temple dedicated to all the gods."

"What better place for Gaea to rise?" Frank asked bitterly.

A roar from behind them cut off any more conversation between the demigods.

"Leo, get to work on that broken third thruster thing," Piper shouted, not even realizing that she was using charmspeak.

Leo nodded quickly and grabbed a wrench from his magical tool belt, running quickly to the control panel.

"How long do we have before Gaea's minions get here?" Frank asked, even as another bellow- this time much closer than before- sounded.

"Not enough for us to get this boat into the air," Annabeth muttered grimly. "I only managed to survive this long because I outran them. They'll be here in less than a minute."

"What do we do?" asked Hazel desperately. "We don't have two of our best fighters, we can't run, and we're outnumbered thirty to one."

"We have to keep the key safe at all costs," Annabeth said. "That's our only hope for closing the Doors."

Hazel drew her _spatha_. "I'll die again before I let Gaea take over," she said.

"And me," Piper added.

"Same," Frank said.

"Me, too!" Leo's voice chimed in from where he was still working on the broken thruster.

Annabeth smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "If we fight, we stand little chance of winning. We have to keep the key out of Gaea's grasp. Even if it means..." she trailed off.

"Annabeth?" Piper asked, concerned.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "The only chance we stand to win this is if we have a distraction." She turned to face them. "Promise me you'll keep the key safe. And tell Percy... tell him I'm sorry and that I love him."

"Annabeth, what are you-" Hazel started to say, but broke off in the middle of her sentence. Annabeth ran and vaulted over the edge of the _Argo II_. She flipped in midair, much like a Roman falling from an eagle, and landed solidly on her feet.

By then, the army was in sight of the demigods and making its way to the _Argo II_. She drew her bronze knife and ran straight for the monsters.

The army stopped and stared, astounded that anyone would be foolish enough to attack them by herself- and this was supposedly the daughter of the Wisdom goddess. It was only a brief second, but it gave Annabeth the advantage she needed. She started hacking and slashing through enemy lines, doing what she had been trained to do since she was seven.

The _Argo II_ started to rise out into the air.

"What are you doing? We need to go back for her!" Hazel screamed.

Piper nodded and was about to use charmspeak to convince Leo to turn the ship around when Frank stopped her.

"Remember what she said. Percy and Jason are out of commission, and we can't defeat that many monsters without them. She's giving us the distraction we need. We have to take the advantage to get to the Doors."

"Do you want to leave her there to die?" Hazel asked desperately.

"No! Of course not! I'm just saying... her sacrifice can't be for nothing. She knew what had to be done. I haven't known her for long, but I know that she's strong. She'll come out of this alive. And then, after the Doors are closed, we can come back to get her."

"It might be too late by then," Hazel whispered, but she still saw the logic in his argument.

"What happened to 'no man left behind'?" asked Piper.

Frank sighed and looked at her sadly. "You know why she did it," he said.

Piper scowled for a minute then turned and stormed back down towards her quarters. Over her shoulder she called, "Fine. But you have to explain to Percy where Annabeth is when he wakes up."

There was a somber mood on the _Argo _as it drifted higher and higher in the sky. Leo peeked over the edge of the boat as they floated over the army of monsters.

Annabeth's bright blonde hair was nowhere to be seen.


	22. Piper 4

Piper

Piper hated telling anyone bad news, let alone the son of the god of earthquakes and storms. Frank, Leo, and Hazel had elected her to tell Percy the bad news when he woke up, probably because she could just charmspeak him to calm down. Still, that did not keep her from glaring at her friends.

Percy woke up too soon for her liking. She was glad that her friend was awake, of course, but did not relish the opportunity to tell him that his girlfriend had sacrificed herself to let them get away, and was probably dead by now.

Percy stumbled on deck, clutching his forehead, followed immediately afterwards by Jason, who was also groaning and blinking in the bright sunlight. The two boys collapsed at a table on deck, where they were joined by the rest of the demigods.

"What happened?" Jason mumbled.

"Um... what do you remember?" Piper asked, hoping to put off answering the question for a little while longer.

"I'm not sure. I was just on deck when suddenly... this cold feeling came over me. After that..." he scrunched up his eyebrows. "I forget."

"Same here," Percy said. "And where's Annabeth?"

Piper felt her stomach drop. There was the dreaded question. Percy apparently saw the poorly disguised horror on her face, because he immediately sat up straighter and focused on her with a sharp look.

"Where. Is. She?" Percy asked, a low growl coming out of his throat.

Piper gulped and started to tell the story, starting with Percy's and Jason's fight. Percy didn't interrupt until she got to the part about Annabeth.

"She what? We have to go back! Leo, turn this boat around."

For once, Leo didn't even grumble about his ship being called a boat, and a serious expression took the place of his usual carefree one. "Percy, I'm sorry. It's too late. They took her half an hour ago."

"There can't have been that many, right? I mean... we've survived so many more monsters. She'll be fine. She _has _to be fine."

Jason was slowly shaking his head. "Perce, I'm sorry, man, but with the Doors of Death still open..."

"No!" Percy exclaimed, eyes wide and heaving deep breaths.

Jason raised his hands in surrender. "Look, I'm sorry, but we have to be realistic here. Our best course of action is to continue on to Greece. If we head north-"

"Don't," Percy yelled. "Don't for a second just pretend that everything's alright. Annabeth-" his voice broke off. His eyes lost their unnatural gleam, and he started to stare off into space again.

For a second, no one moved. Then, in a small voice, Hazel whispered, "Percy?"

There was no reply from the son of Poseidon, and he just kept staring straight ahead, eyes glazed over.

Jason's hand twitched towards his weapon was, but stopped when Percy abruptly drew in a breath. Percy's eyes lost their glazed look, and he focused on Jason. Breathing heavily, he rose and took a few steps away from the table Jason.

"She's still alive."

Everyone looked startled at his pronouncement, then a bit concerned.

"Percy-" Leo started, only to have Percy cut him off yet again.

"No. I would know if she died, okay? I would be able to feel it. Besides... Gaea just spoke to me. She told me that Annabeth's still alive, but Gaea's got her captured. I _have_ to go get her."

"Percy," Jason said doubtfully. "There's no guarantee that she's got Annabeth. Gaea's luring you into a trap."

"Of course she is," Percy said. "But that's exactly what's keeping Annabeth alive. Gaea's going to bargain with me: Annabeth's life for mine."

"Percy, you can't," Hazel said desperately. "There's got to be another way, we can think of a plan."

Percy was already shaking his head. "No. I can't..." his eyes took on a determined glint again. "I swear, I _will_ get her out of this alive, even if it kills me."

Piper felt chills run up her spine. A line of the Great Prophecy came back to her: _An oath to keep with a final breath_. She tried to reason with Percy.

"Okay, Percy, we'll get her back, but let's do it the smart way. We have to come up with a plan to get both of you out of there alive. Let's continue on to Greece, because that's where Gaea is, so it's probably where she's taken Annabeth, too, if she has her."

Percy paused for a second, but nodded.

"And besides," Leo chimed in, having been unnaturally silent for awhile, "don't think we're letting you do this on your own. Sure, she's scary, but she's our friend, and we wouldn't have her any other way. We'll get her back, and we'll do it together."

One by one, the other demigods gave their consent. A small smile formed on Percy's face.

"Thanks, guys," he said.

"You can always count on us," Leo said proudly. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to check the control panel to make sure nothing blew up while I was away."

"One second," Frank said. "There's one thing that's been bothering me about all this: the prophecy." Immediately, the mood went from hopeful to somber again.

"_The prince of death shall be made free/By children of the Big Three._" Piper said the first line of the prophecy.

"That's easy enough. Nico's the prince of death, because his father is Hades; it's not Thanatos like we thought. Children of the Big Three might refer to Hades and Poseidon," Percy said.

Hazel continued with the next lines. _"The final battle shall be at the roots/You shall be aided by the new recruits." _

"I stick by my earlier statement: the new recruits are the new campers at Camp Half-Blood, and they helped build the _Argo II_," Jason said.

_"Wisdom's daughter walks alone/The mark of Athena burns through Rome." _

Everyone was silent. No one wanted to bring up a reminder of Annabeth just yet.

"What about Ella's two lines? _Battle's chosen has a different course/ Six fly to Greece with hearts of remorse." _Piper reminded them of the other lines.

"Battle's chosen?" Frank wondered out loud.

"It's Annabeth." Percy's normally carefree expression was closed off. "Her mother is Athena, goddess of battle. She's got a different course than the rest of us, meaning she'll get to Greece another way." No one said that the 'different course' might not mean getting to Greece at all.

"Right," Leo said. "I think I've got everything handled up here, so how about you guys get some rest or something? I don't know about you guys, but I'd hate to fall asleep in the middle of a fight."

Slowly, all the demigods except for Percy left the table, heading their various ways. Percy didn't fell like moving, or like doing much of anything, really. He just wanted Annabeth.

Unconsciously, Percy's scowl grew deeper. Why was it that, every time the world was in danger, it was him and Annabeth in the middle of it all? Just once, Percy wished that someone else would take responsibility.

Then Percy thought about his other friends, who were risking just as much as he was. Not only the seven- now six- on the quest, but also his friends at Camp Half-Blood as well as Camp Jupiter. Not all of them would live to see the end of the week.

Frowning, Percy shook his head to get rid of the negative thoughts. Maybe, just maybe, Reyna could talk some sense into the Romans. Then the demigods- Greek and Roman alike- would join forces against Gaea, and they would come out on top. Then the six of them would find Annabeth, defeat Gaea, and go out for dinner without any monsters attacking. It was a small hope, but Percy held on to it.

Percy walked over to where Leo was tapping controls onto a keyboard.

"Do we have a course?" Percy asked him.

Leo nodded, not pausing to look back at him. "Yep. We should get to Greece within two or three hours."

Percy stared out over the front of the ship. He clapped a hand onto Leo's shoulder and nodded determinedly.

"Let's go."


End file.
